PALMER — The town of Palmer is now considering various options for a permanent ambulance service for the community since the abrupt departure of Palmer Ambulance Service at the end of October.
Town Manager Brad Brothers explained to Reminder Publishing the Palmer Fire Department has taken over the service but a permanent solution must be determined by the Town Council.
He emphasized the town was only given a seven-day notice and had no idea the announcement was coming.
Brothers shared the email the town received on Oct. 24 from David Clark, director of the private Palmer Ambulance Service Inc.: “Good afternoon, we are reaching out to you today to notify you that after 40[-plus] years of uninterrupted, dedicated service to the community, effective midnight [Oct. 31, 2024], Palmer Ambulance Service will no longer be responding to requests for emergency medical services in the town of Palmer. At the [Oct. 22, 2024] Palmer Ambulance Service Board of Directors meeting, it was unanimously voted that we would not be pursuing a renewal of our Ambulance Service license — Oct. 31 is the expiration date of that licensure.
“From today’s date forward, Palmer Ambulance Service cannot guarantee you an emergency medical response. Please follow the in-place protocols to secure ambulance transport should Palmer Ambulance Service be unable to respond.
“The Board of Directors felt that due to continual rising operating expenses, years of steady decline in call volume from primary historic sources (Baystate Wing Hospital), staffing challenges, competing medical transport services and increased regulatory compliance demands, our original mission to provide an EMS service at no cost to the town can no longer be sustained. Additionally, the creation of a municipal, tax-based Palmer Fire Department ambulance service will further reduce our call volume.
“In accordance with MGL 111C, 105 CMR 170.355 (A-E), It is our recommendation that you notify and advise the Palmer Fire Department Ambulance Service, a dually licensed and operating ambulance service in the EMS service zone of the town of Palmer, MA, that at the above date and time, they will be solely responsible for the response, treatment and transport of any sick or injured within the geographic town of Palmer.”
Brothers said, “In an immediate response I asked Palmer Fire (who only started operating as a secondary [Basic Life Support] provider on Oct. 1) to add shifts to ensure we had 24/7 response coverage starting Nov. 1. In addition, we let our neighboring towns know we may have an increase for mutual aid (not uncommon for all towns as many are struggling with staffing). The cost for additional staffing to the Palmer Fire Department was $15,000 for November.
“The Town Council previously approved approximately $100,000 back in November (which is available through June 30, 2025). We are reviewing all options at the moment before any agreement is signed but the options range from keeping it in house to contracting out with an outside agency for [Advanced Life Support] coverage. All costs tied to ambulance service will be new to the municipal budget as Palmer Ambulance was a self-funded operation.”
Brothers said the town is in “pretty good temporary situation” it helps the town to have Baystate Wing Hospital in town, he explained. The call response times for the fire ambulance service have been “well under the state average” of seven to eight minutes.
One drawback is that the fire ambulance service is not certified at this time for ALS, which Brothers said is a large additional expense.
He added, “While I wish we were given more time to game plan the closure of Palmer Ambulance, I think we have played the hand we’ve been dealt well as we continue to weigh more permanent options. From my research so far, every option will have a significant impact on the municipal operating budget.”
