WATERVILLE — The city has decided to buy a new ambulance and hire four new additional fire-emergency medical services workers, all to the tune of about $500,000.

The Waterville Fire Department also plans to enter into an agreement with the Winslow Fire Department to be the first department Winslow will call if that department needs mutual aid. Waterville fire officials will respond but only if they determine they are able.

These decisions were made Tuesday after a long debate between Waterville city councilors and a lot of questions for fire Chief Jason Frost who requested the ambulance and new workers.

The council was to have considered a request to spend $256,700 to have Autotronics LLC of Bangor remount an ambulance. The patient box would be removed from the ambulance, refurbished and mounted on a new chassis as part of the process, which also typically includes other improvements.

Frost said his department has four ambulances, only two of which are running because one is being worked on and another was determined by Autotronics to have major problems that would make no sense to fix.

Councilors voted 7-0 and without much discussion to buy a new 2025 ambulance for $291,800, but the decisions to hire four fire-EMS workers at a cost of $207,000 and agree to be Winslow’s first call for mutual aid were hard fought.

Council Chair Rebecca Green, D-Ward 4, urged everyone to go back to the table to discuss innovative ways to deliver services in the area, overlook boundaries and traditions between area towns and figure out a sustainable way to deliver services so people can get to hospitals safely.

People must advocate at the federal and state levels, Green said, to support a health care system that is crumbling due to underfunding of Medicare.

“I can’t vote for this,” she said. “I’d like to, but I think it’s premature. We haven’t seen what next year’s budget looks like.”

But Thomas Klepach, D-Ward 3, argued that calls for services are increasing, ambulances are having to travel farther distances because of the closure of Northern Light Inland Hospital and councilors have a responsibility to help protect taxpayers. He said it was hard for him to think about services more fundamental than those fire-EMS delivers.

“I feel like the citizens of Waterville want someone there in their darkest hour,” Klepach said.

Councilor Scott Beale, D-Ward 6, said insurance companies are reducing offerings and he expects to see reductions in federal funds coming into the state for reimbursement for EMS services. Therefore, the city’s obligation will go up, he said.

“It seems to be still impractical for us to support this at this point, given all the unknowns with funding going forward,” Beale said.

Frost said he didn’t disagree with Beale and had no idea what will happen with funding, but what he does know is that calls to his department are increasing. He cited other, larger departments that have fewer calls than Waterville, as well as more ambulances and more firefighters.

“The big issue we have is staff burnout,” he said. “I have had four staff leave since July 1.”

Some of those employees said Waterville’s call volume is just too high, he said.

“Chief, I feel your frustration,” Beale said. “This is a real problem.”

But he added that increasing property taxes as much as the city would have to is not sustainable. A solution is needed, but not one that further burdens taxpayers, he said.

Nancy Sanford, who watched the debate, echoed Klepach’s support of hiring four employees.

“I don’t think the chief would be asking for four more people if he didn’t really believe that’s what we need,” she said.

Councilors voted 5-2 to hire the workers, with Green and Beale disssenting. They also voted 5-2 to sign an agreement with Winslow to be the first department Winslow calls for mutual aid if they need it, with Beale and Councilor Brandon Gilley, D-Ward 1, dissenting.

The vote came after a long debate about why Waterville should sign a memorandum of understanding to be the first call, when Winslow already asks Waterville for mutual aid and Waterville responds when it can do so.

Frost said that with the agreement, Waterville is under no obligation to respond. Each time a paramedic goes to Winslow, Waterville receives $300, according to Frost, who said if Waterville brings an ambulance, the patient pays for it. Waterville gets reimbursed, regardless of how Waterville helps, he said.

Green asked if the net effect is a loss for Delta Ambulance, but Frost said that, of 50 times Winslow asked Delta last year for a paramedic intercept, Delta was unable to do so 37 times, but Waterville was able to do so.

Gilley said it sounds as if Waterville is subsidizing Winslow’s EMS services. Frost said he looks at it differently; that both departments are just trying to help each other out.

“If we don’t have it, we don’t send it,” he said. “If we do send it, we do get reimbursed for it.”