NORWICH – At the suggestion of Chenango County Board of Supervisors Chairman Richard B. Decker, members of the Finance Committee agreed last week to table a discussion of how to fund a newly-proposed emergency “fly car” rescue service.
“Let’s take this breath at this time,” Decker said.
The fly car service, proposed earlier this month, is intended to provide certified advanced life support systems and personnel to aid local volunteer squads with emergency calls. It was identified as a way to offset the loss of a privately-operated ambulance company that served the county previously.
Acting on a referral from the Personnel Committee, financial leaders were to discuss how to fund the three positions and two sport utility vehicles that have been recommended. The program is estimated to cost $360,000, not including the vehicles. Salaries were tentatively set at $42,213 for an emergency medical services supervisor and $40,348 each for two technicians.
“We were careful to keep the supervisor’s salary less than Mr. Beckwith’s,” Personnel Committee Chairman Wayne Outwater, R-Lincklaen, said, referring to Emergency Management Deputy Director and Fire Coordinator Matt Beckwith, who would oversee the program.