Town officials sought answers from Delta Ambulance on Tuesday about a new plan to start using EMTs instead of sending paramedics on every emergency call, at the same time the regional transport service’s fees are going up.

Leaders from China, Belgrade and Vassalboro discussed their concerns with Chris Mitchell, Delta’s executive director, at China’s town office. Mitchell announced earlier this month that Delta’s per capita fees for towns will rise from $35 to at least $55 in July 2026, raising the alarm for towns that rely on the service.

He also said Delta is switching its EMS license from a paramedic level to an EMT level, which will permit EMTs to go on calls with or without a paramedic and offer basic life support. Paramedics with advanced life support training will also be working and able to intercept EMT ambulances on the way to a hospital if more care is needed.

Town officials worry the change means a higher cost for a more limited service.

Ambulance dispatchers determine how serious a call is based on the information they receive from an emergency caller, but it isn’t always reliable. Becky Hapgood, China town manager, said she is concerned a paramedic will be left behind for an emergency that requires advanced life support.

Mitchell said the change in licensure is a way of addressing paramedic shortages across the region. He said more than half of Delta’s calls do not require advanced life support, but its current license requires a paramedic on every call regardless of “anticipated need.” Calls handled by the service that previously would not have received an ambulance because all paramedics were occupied can now get a basic-level ambulance, Mitchell said.

Mitchell said that because the stakes are higher in rural areas, Delta will have conversations with each town about its need for paramedics, considering rural roads and distance from an emergency room.

Delta operated a paramedic intercept system with Waterville that Mitchell said was made easier because of the two local hospitals and a concentration of calls in the city. Waterville, which runs its own transport operation, has a mutual aid agreement with Delta but is not one of the communities the service contracts with.

“We had a fly car — a paramedic on a SUV — covering two non-medic ambulances,” Mitchell said. “And that system worked really well, because at no point was there a paramedic that was really far away from a call.”

He added: “That model doesn’t translate well to a 500-square mile coverage area.”

Winslow has a mutual aid agreement with Delta to transport for each other free of charge, but paramedic shortages have strained that relationship, Winslow fire Chief Mike Murphy said during an August interview. Winslow calls Delta for a paramedic intercept when the town’s crew of per diem paramedics are occupied with other calls.

From July 2024 to July 2025, Murphy said, the department requested a paramedic from Delta 50 times and Delta said no 37 times.

Those instances forced Winslow to call Waterville or Fairfield for a paramedic, Murphy said, delaying the time help arrived on scene, especially after the closure of the nearest emergency room at Northern Light Inland Hospital in Waterville. Murphy said he wants to set up new inter-town agreements that rely less on Delta.

“I’m just looking to find a quicker response time if I don’t have a medic,” Murphy said.

Mitchell said during an interview in August that Delta prioritizes resources for towns that do not “already have the ability to transport.”

“If we sacrifice our last unit to get Winslow a paramedic, now those other towns that don’t have an ambulance — now they have nobody,” Mitchell said.

The change in licensure will bring more flexibility to calls, Mitchell said Tuesday.

The new plan will not take paramedics off the road, it will instead disperse them among more vehicles. Delta has hired 24 new people — mostly basic EMTs — in the last few months, Mitchell said.

“We didn’t reduce the number of paramedics in the system,” Mitchell said. “We just moved them around a little bit.”

Editor’s note: This story was updated on Sept. 24 to correct information about service calls handled by Delta Ambulance.