By Jamie L. Costa
The Eagle-Tribune
PLAISTOW, N.H. — The Plaistow Fire Department was given the green light last month to launch its own regional paramedic intercept program for towns immediately affected by Exeter Hospital’s plans to end advanced life support services in March.
During the Dec. 30 Board of Selectmen meeting, Fire Chief Chris Knutsen and Executive Councilor Janet Stevens proposed a pilot program that would be entirely funded in its first year by a $2 million grant from the hospital, at no cost to the town.
The grant, in addition to a $20,000 donation from the William H. Donner Foundation , will enable the town’s Fire Department to launch the program, draw up municipal contracts with impacted towns, hire EMS personnel, purchase additional life-saving equipment and staff two specialized, fully-staffed SUV’s 24/7, which will be donated by the hospital.
“We have an opportunity to help our neighbors and the surrounding communities and it’s not going to cost the town any money through our budget,” said Selectman Jay DeRoche. “It’s not just a benefit for us, but for the other communities that aren’t able to get paramedics that they might need.”
Selectmen echoed DeRoche’s sentiments and unanimously voted to accept Knutsen and Stevens’ proposal.
The ALS program currently provides critical, life-saving resources in which Exeter Hospital deploys paramedics in specialized “intercept” vehicles with medical equipment to neighboring communities where advanced medical care is required to protect human life. The hospital originally planned to end the program in September.
By March 20 , when services will be formally discontinued, Knutsen said the grant money will be in hand and the program will be ready to roll out. When the intercept program launches, it will be based in both Plaistow and Brentwood where each site will be staffed with two highly trained paramedics for dispatch 24/7 to assist surrounding downs in emergencies.
Between now and then, Knutsen plans to draft up contracts with the towns that were dependent on the ALS program, which include, but are not limited to, Exeter, Brentwood, Kingston, East Kingston, Fremont, Hampton Falls, North Hampton, Newfields and Stratham. Most of these towns do not have staffed medics, nor do they operate 24/7.
“Budgeting is already done and the odds of these towns trying to find any additional money would be next to impossible,” Knutsen said. “We are hoping to make this decision process easy for them to want to continue having the program.”
The towns, which have already budgeted for this year’s services, will be expected to continue to pay for the services Plaistow provides at the rate that Exeter Hospital set, which was $80 per call if the patient is transported to a hospital. Knutsen hopes to work with fire chiefs from the neighboring communities to create equal contracts that will evenly distribute the estimated $1.7 million annual operating cost.
If at any point the town’s decide they don’t want to pay for the services, the department will discontinue the program indefinitely. Knutsen said this is an unlikely possibility as there are many stakeholders invested in the program’s success.
Though town officials, selectmen and surrounding towns appear to be in favor of the program, the proposal was not without opposition from residents who argued that, once again, the Fire Department and the town were making decisions without public input.
“Voters don’t have the opportunity to vote on this. Last year, you forced upon us a new ambulance service and now we’re apparently the experts in ambulance services in Southern New Hampshire,” said Ryan LaBracque during public comment. “I’m not saying there isn’t a need, but the Town of Plaistow doesn’t need to be involved in this. If these towns need it so greatly, why aren’t the representatives of these towns here tonight?”
He asked what town will step up if selectmen vote against approving the program and implied that other towns, specifically Exeter, don’t want a program like this.
Unlike surrounding communities, Plaistow’s Fire Department has separated the EMS program from the Fire Department, which makes it easier to make independent hires and keep it mostly staffed. Other towns are looking for dual qualifications in one person, which Knutsen said is really hard to find nowadays. The result is rural departments are often understaffed.
“I applaud Chief Knutsen for developing this sustainable plan and I thank the Board of Selectmen for considering it tonight. This is a huge step in the right direction in providing this critical safety net,” Councilor Stevens said.
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