With the beginning of the county’s fiscal year July 1st, Powder River County will take over control of ambulance service in the county. The move comes following Dick Jesse’s announcement that he would be retiring from Jesse Ambulance Service, which was started by Dick’s father, Ken, in the early 1960s. Much of the early adventures on the ambulance were detailed in Ken’s autobiography, Ken Jesse’s Tales.
With the looming question of what Powder River County would do without an ambulance service and no private operations able to take over, the commissioners made the decision to take the ambulance service under the county’s wing. Other counties in Montana have similar county owned services, including Rosebud and Garfield Counties. Commissioner Donna Giacometto told us that by law the county has to maintain some sort of ambulance service for transport of patients from Powder River Manor. With the possibility that these services might need to be provided from out of county and make for dangerous wait times in an emergency situation, the public method was deemed the best option. Jesse Ambulance Service had already been subsidized by the county since at least 1968, according to Giacometto’s fact finding in looking through old budgets.
We spoke to the commissioners about the new plan. The trio is looking at appointing a commissioner as interim director of the ambulance service, and on July 1 the county will assume service, taking over the lease on the current ambulance building. A deal is expected to be worked out regarding acquisition of equipment, and the current setup with the First Responders will continue, which are an organization independent of the ambulance. According to Commissioner Lee Randall, a Director of Emergency Medical Services will eventually be hired to manage the entire setup.
A plus side of county ownership of the ambulance service is increased ability for attaining grants, according to the commissioners, which may help cut down on costs for the taxpayer.
The county is currently working with Southeastern Montana Development Corporation to attain a grant for a new ambulance, with plans for delivery in another year or two. Ambulance delivery takes some time, due to funding, and the design and build time involved with the custom units.
Commissioner Randall commented on the service: “We hope to have 100% continuity as the county transitions from Jesse Ambulance Service to the county operated model. The end user shouldn’t see any difference in service.”
The commissioners wanted to thank the Jesse family for their decades of service to the community, helping to keep people alive in all weather conditions, every day of the year.
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