Chickasaw County Ambulance Council Approves Feasibility Study, Contract Extension

The long term future of ambulance service in Chickasaw County is still uncertain, but officials have agreed on two short term approaches to the issue.

The Chickasaw County Ambulance Council voted Wednesday night to move forward with a feasibility study of the county starting its own ambulance service. County Supervisor Jake Hackman says SaveTech Solutions will collect county ambulance-related information over the last three years from various sources.

Hackman says statistics from the current provider, Jeremy McGrath and Chickasaw Ambulance Service, would also be helpful, but it was not known if that information will become available.

Bassett Mayor Jim Ashley expressed concerns the study may be a waste of money at this point, but Hackman says it’s a necessary step before the Board of Supervisors could sign off on moving forward with a public ambulance service.

In addition to the feasibility study, the ambulance council also approved a contract extension with McGrath. The current agreement was set to expire June 30th, but a six month extension at $24,500 per month will take the County through December 31st.

The ambulance council voted to decline a bid from AMR Ambulance, the service provider for Charles City and Floyd County.