Supervisors approve of new ambulance contract

Chickasaw Ambulance Service owner Jeremy McGrath has terminated the existing contract with Chickasaw County and has proposed a new one.The Chickasaw County Ambulance Council met to discuss the contract and McGrath found that some of the wording was hindering both parties.He presented a letter discontinuing the current contract to the Chickasaw County Board of Supervisors which means that contract will end on July 1 and then proposed a new contract.“The council meeting got a little ugly,” said McGrath.Discussions of poor response times and somebody dying because of a slow response were unfounded accusations that were made, McGrath said.He said after the meeting a lot of the current Emergency Management volunteers were ready to quit.“We are able to run one ambulance now and staff a second one part time,” said McGrath.Chickasaw County Emergency Director Ken Rasing said the big concern some of the volunteers are having with the council is that Chairman Steve Geerts is not just a member of the council but also answers to New Hampton Mayor Deb Larsen because he is the New Hampton Fire Chief.The volunteers were informed that there had been a meeting with a different ambulance council that Mayor Deb Larsen and Steve Geerts attended.For the complete story see the 1/13/2017 New Hampton Tribune.