New year, new ambulance arrangements

A Clarkston ambulance heads out of the fire station Monday.

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Story Published: Jan 4, 2010 at 10:51 PM PDT

Story Updated: Jan 4, 2010 at 10:51 PM PDT

By Tracci Dial & KLEW Web Staff

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LEWISTON - The LC Valley's ambulance service went through yet another change as the new year rang in.

At midnight on December 31, the contracts designating the Lewiston Fire Department as the sole ambulance provider for the Valley expired.

Clarkston is now making use of their three new ambulances.

“We've gone to a number of calls, transported people like you'd expect to see transported,” said Clarkston Fire Chief Steve Cooper on Monday. “It is the same people that used to respond on Rescue One as first responders, responding now as an ambulance service. The difference is they respond in an ambulance and they transport that patient instead of passing them to Lewiston for transport.”

Lewiston Fire remains the only Advanced Life Support (ALS) trauma verified transport service in the Valley. Lewiston expects up to 1,300 fewer calls, but they will still be in Asotin County.

“What that verification status requires us to do is we are to transport all major trauma calls,” said Lewiston Fire Battalion Chief Travis Myklebust.

Because the state regulates licensures on a local level, it's likely the new agreement will be in place for a while. Lewiston recently stationed a LFD ambulance and crew at the Asotin County Fire Station in the Heights.

For the next few months they'll be looking at depth, number of calls and whether or not the two entities are duplicating services.

“It’s still so new that I think that'll be a decision (by) the local Asotin County EMS council, which has members from the community, the local health facilities. They'll look at all that,” said Myklebust.

Even if they decide it's time to apply for change in verification status, the proposal will go to the East Region Council based in Spokane and then to Olympia for final approval. The process can take up to eight months.

“I don't intend to go to the January meeting and ask for a change in that,” said Cooper. “I think that we manage the system as it is and we'll provide good services for all the residents in Clarkston."

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