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Attention Raisin Township Residents
Effective
November 1st, 2007 our ambulance services will be provided
by Lenawee County Ambulance Service (LCA).
The
Board of Trustee’s understand that you will have questions as to how
is this change going to affect you, how will you call for an
ambulance, will you still have a local rescue show up to help you in
your time of need, is it going to cost me more money, will I still
have the same quality Paramedic service that I have had in the past
and perhaps other questions that we may not be able to answer with
this communication.
LCA
is going to provide a manned ambulance housed at the Raisin Township
station 10 hours per day 7 days per week, during the hours when the
unit is not manned, Raisin Township’s dedicated paid on call staff
will have the option of utilizing the unit as a rescue or in cases
when there is a shortage of ambulances in the area actually be able to
transport you to an appropriate facility for treatment. The cost of
this ambulance to the Township is $ -0-
Q.
How is this change going
to affect you?
A.
The only change that you will encounter is the color of the
arriving ambulance
Q.
How will you summon this service in your time of need?
A.
The same method as is used now – CALL 911
Q.
Will the local Raisin
Township rescue squad still be there to help me when I need them?
A.
Yes, we still have and plan to continue the paid on call staff
that we have had in place since the beginning of
the Department.
Q.
Is this service going to
cost me additional money?
A.
LCA will bill your insurance at their normal rates which are
comparable to ours. LCA also offers a subscription
service program which is very much like the one maintained by
Raisin Township years ago. If you are a
subscription member the remaining balance is written off. The
subscriptions are available at the Township
office and are half price for the balance of the year.
Q.
Will
I still receive the same quality paramedic service?
A.
Yes, in fact many of the paramedics who work for LCA are paid
on call members of our Fire Department.
Q.
What was the decision to
change services based on?
A.
The decision to change services was a very difficult one. The
Township has been subsidizing the
ambulance
service each year with approximately $ 400,000 from the general
budget to keep the operation open. With
decreases in our revenue from State sources and increased costs
from nearly all aspects the Township is
faced with a deficit if we do not respond in a timely fashion.
We are not allowed by law to operate in a deficit
therefore a very difficult decision was necessary by the board
of trustees, to prevent this from happening. The
Board is charged with the financial welfare of the Township and
is expected to operate within the State of
Michigan guidelines.
For
example: The 2007 operating budget of our Fire Department was
projected to be $
708,377.00
With
the changes above the 2008 operating budget of our Fire Department is
projected to be $ 246,118.00
As
you can see the difference in the operating budgets amounts to a great
deal of money.
$ 462,259.00
We
the Board of trustees feel that we have acted in the best interest of
our Township residents by providing an alternative which will supply
the same quality service at a cost which will allow the township to
move forward without imposing any additional taxation in the immediate
future.
Still
have questions?
Please call us at (517) 423-3162 or visit our website and click
on the “Meet the Staff” link.
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