Andover area governments closer to EMS agreement

Warren Dillaway, Star Beacon, Ashtabula, Ohio
·2 min read

Feb. 10—ANDOVER — Village and surrounding township officials seem closer to entering a new agreement with Community Care Ambulance after months of negotiating and behind-the-scenes detail work.

A meeting on Thursday night at Andover Village Hall provided officials the opportunity to ask questions and make sure everyone was on the same page.

Andover Village Council hosted the meeting that included CCA Interim Chief Executive Officer Tom Little and CCA Customer Relations Director Chris Brooks and trustees from Williamsfield, Wayne, Richmond and Andover townships.

"I think as far as the village goes, we're set," said Andover Village Council President E. Curt Williams.

During the 2020 coronavirus pandemic the Andover emergency room closed, creating long trips to hospitals in Meadville, Pa., Chardon, Conneaut or Ashtabula, which made staffing ambulance in the area difficult.

The participating governments have held meetings for well more than a year to try and come up with a solution and have agreed to work together to make the relationship work by increasing millage revenue from each government unit.

The village of Andover had a contract written to stipulate its desires for the new agreement. The townships are having the new contract reviewed by Ashtabula County Prosecutor Colleen O'Toole, but are working toward levies to add one mill to the present two for ambulance service in the area.

CCA has agreed to pay for paramedic training for Andover Fire Department members. The new crew would then be used as an auxiliary to staff a second ambulance in southeastern part of the county when the "on duty" ambulance leaves the area.

The volunteers from the fire department have not yet signed up for the program.

Brooks said the fire department workers could fit in the "casual" employment category that contract to work 24 hours in a month.

"We are good with [the plan]. We've been doing two mills for a long time. I think the people go for it," he said of the one-mill increase.

Andover Township Trustee Bill French had some concerns regarding wording in the present contract but the CCA officials responded positively, he said. French also said he felt the village contract had some good points as well as the existing contract and hoped portions of both contracts could be implemented for their agreement.