After years of contracting emergency medical services through MaineHealth, Rangeley is weighing the feasibility of the town establishing its own organization.

The Rangeley Ambulance Ad Hoc Study Group presented the findings of an EMS study to the Rangeley select board March 24.

MaineHealth has been contracted for the service by Rangeley and the surrounding plantations since 2005. 

A proposed new model would staff two workers around the clock to match the existing system. There would be one firefighter-paramedic and one firefighter-EMT. The department would need to hire six new workers, three paramedics and three EMTs. Current firefighters would also be trained as EMTs.

Current EMS response time is an average of four minutes to have an ambulance en route. The new system hopes to bring response times closer to the one-minute target set by the National Fire Protection Agency.

If the new model were to be implemented, the town would need to buy new equipment, including two ambulances and other devices used in EMS responses. The estimated cost of the combined equipment would be $631,500. The study group said the purchases could be made from the town’s unassigned funds so that the town’s tax burden wouldn’t increase.

By transferring to a town-run service, it would likely generate revenue for the town, with projections ranging from $591,166 to $706,256 per year.

Fire Rescue Chief Mike Bacon said post-pandemic growth in Rangeley is largely what spurred the discussion. The town used to see around 100 calls each year, but has steadily crept up to 600 calls in recent years.

“All services in Rangeley are growing,” Bacon said. “You got code enforcement growing. You’ve got public works growing. There’s an influx. And we’re at a point where, I mean, at some point we’ll plateau, but I just don’t know when that will be.”

Bacon reiterated that the study was to look at the financial feasibility of a town-run EMS department, and that none of the proposals are confirmed.

“We thought we were going to look into the numbers and be able to say they have increased, this is not something we can do,” Bacon said. “But when we started running the numbers … (we realized) this is something we can do and bring a service to the community as a whole.”

Residents who attended the meeting questioned whether the change would be a positive move. Some expressed unease at the up-front expenses required to make the initial switch. Others questioned what would happen to the surrounding plantations if they chose not to join Rangeley’s EMS service. Bacon said the proposal factors in the plantations.

It is up to the select board to decide what to do next. The board could table the discussion, hire an outside agency to look into the proposal or form a committee to explore the idea. Depending on the course select board members choose, it could be over a year before any final decisions are made.