Piscataquis County officials want to secure more ambulance coverage for UTS

DOVER-FOXCROFT — Piscataquis County is looking to join the towns of Brownville and Milo in an agreement with the Howland-based Central Maine Highlands Fire District #1 to ensure ambulance service is available in the eastern Unorganized Territories.

Central Maine Highlands Fire District #1, which offers 24/7 service, would serve as a backup if Three Rivers Ambulance of Milo and Northern Light Medical Transport and Emergency Care of Dover-Foxcroft were both unable to respond to a call in the UTs. A contract may be presented at a future Piscataquis County Commissioners meeting for approval.

County Manager Michael Williams said he has been speaking with Milo Fire Chief Mike Harris and Brownville Fire Chief Shawn Mitchell. 

“They are having the same problem getting the ambulance coverage, so they got into a temporary agreement with the ambulance service out of Howland as a backup,” Williams said during a commissioners meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 4.

Ambulance coverage for rural Maine communities has been an ongoing problem. Most recently, four unorganized territories in Penobscot County learned in December that they are at risk of losing ambulance coverage from the East Millinocket Fire Department. 

Last year, Three Rivers Ambulance responded to 34 calls in the nearby Piscataquis County UTs, Williams said.

“This is where the problem is because Three Rivers sometimes goes 24, 48, 72 hours without any coverage and when Milo, Sebec, and Brownville need ambulance transportation they are trying to find it,” he said.

Under an agreement with the county, Williams said that if Central Maine Highlands Fire District #1 was called in for transport then the organization would bill the patient’s insurance. Should there be a portion of the bill not covered, then the county would reimburse the remainder or unrecoverable expense to the ambulance service.

“There won’t be any cost unless they can’t get reimbursed, they are not looking to make money,” Williams said. “All they are looking to do is cover expenses for coming over here.”

He said Central Maine Highlands Fire District #1 would be called in by Brownville and Milo emergency services personnel when an ambulance is needed.

“It is going to be some extra money, I have some right now in the UT budget because I have a fire/ambulance line in the budget,” Williams said, with an amount to be determined. He said he does not want the county to end up in a situation where no ambulance is available in an emergency.

Williams said he will attend a meeting with Brownville and Milo officials and Three Rivers Ambulance next week.

“That is an issue around the entire state, it’s not just local to us, it’s everybody going through this,” he said about trying to ensure ambulance coverage is in place.

In other business, Piscataquis County Emergency Management Agency Director Debra Hamlin was asked about an update to the emergency radio system project.

Hamlin said the next project meeting is scheduled for Feb. 12. “It should be the final meeting so we will have something more definitive answers then,” she said.

Since 2020, Piscataquis County and municipal emergency officials have been working to update outdated infrastructure and long-running problems with the county’s radio communications for emergency personnel. Many of the problems stem from the hilly and mountainous terrain of the region and aging and out of date infrastructure.

After delays due to questions on funding sources, the endeavor is now being overseen by a six-member committee. There also is a 15-member subcommittee including town managers, fire chiefs, police department members, emergency medical service providers, and representatives of CPKC Railroad.

County officials have recently been discussing funding options. Last fall, consultant Normand Boucher of Communications Design Consulting Group of Barrington, New Hampshire, said seven new tower sites would cost $2,695,000 above the $4.2 million already awarded in federal monies for radio infrastructure, to bring the project to about $6.9 million total, an amount that still needs to be finalized. 

There is no guarantee that funds will be secured, but grant possibilities could reduce the near $2.7 million cost, which may go out to a bond if the county commissioners decide to go that route. 

The commissioners will discuss the radio project more at a future meeting.

The county paid Communications Design Consulting Group $27,000 for a feasibility study on radio communications, which was first presented in November 2021. Before the feasibility study, Boucher spent months meeting with members of area fire and police departments and toured sites around the region, including locations of about a dozen transmitters.