Ambulance will get load system

One of the county’s ambulances will have a new perk soon.

Jay County Commissioners OK’d a $223,854 purchase Monday to remount a Jay Emergency Medical Service vehicle and equip it with a power load system.

Jay Emergency Medical Service director Gary Barnett explained an ambulance is due for a remount, which involves replacing the chassis on the vehicle. Braun Custom Appliances and Penn Care proposed remount service with addition of a power load system from Stryker and a new power cot.

The Stryker Power Load system is built into the floor of an ambulance. It uses a hydraulic arm and track to lift the cot, patient and equipment into or out of the truck.

Kyle Gerlach, also a director for Jay Emergency Medical Service, explained he utilized the equipment while he was director of Mercer County Emergency Medical Service, which he said outfitted all its ambulances with the system eight years ago.

“These systems are a huge relief when it comes to lifting patients into the back of an ambulance,” said Gerlach.

Having a load system in place, Gerlach and Barnett noted, would reduce the likelihood of back injuries with EMS employees. They referenced responding to 911 calls in which patients weighed more than 400 pounds, requiring additional personnel to lift their cot into the ambulance.

“Most of us are getting older, and our patients are not getting any smaller,” Gerlach said.

The system is also transferable between ambulances if the vehicle is damaged.

Braun Custom Appliances and Penn Care proposed remounting the ambulance with a power load system and new power cot for just under $251,000. Barnett suggested paying for the remount service and installation of the power load system, noting they could buy a refurbished cot later.

Commissioners OK’d the purchase, which will come out of Jay Emergency Medical Service budget in 2024. Hopes are to have the equipment sometime next year.

Also, commissioners hosted a public hearing for the county’s application to Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs for $1 million from the Community Development Block Grant program.

Jay County should receive the funding, which was offered as an incentive for communities allocating their American Rescue Plan Act dollars through OCRA’s Hoosier Enduring Legacy Program (HELP). It requires an $88,000 match in American Rescue Plan Act dollars.

Using the funding, the county is planning to create an owner-occupied rehabilitation program for low to moderate income Jay County residents to make home improvements, such as a new roof, furnace or air conditioning unit. The program would allow up to $25,000 per person. Applications are expected to open sometime in November.

Commissioners also heard from Redkey Town Council member Gary Gardner and Redkey town employee Randy Young about the combined sewer overflow (CSO) that runs south from a rural part of the county into Redkey. 

Gardner noted the town has until the end of the year to come up with a plan to eliminate the CSO, which is in violation of Indiana Department of Environmental Management regulations. Jay County Health Department administrator and environmentalist Heath Butz suggested meeting with Redkey officials to discuss how to tackle the issue.

In other business, commissioners:

•Heard from Jessica Clayton of insurance broker One Digital. If Jay County renews its agreement with Physicians Health Plan, it would see a 4% increase next year. Employees would see a 6% increase in dental insurance and a higher deductible with the high deductible plan — it would jump from $4,000 to $6,000 — but would have the option to open a Health Savings Account.

•Agreed to raise buggy plate renewal fees to $120 per year and enact a $25 late fee. (The rates had been $60 annually.) Aker noted Adams County’s rate is currently $120 and is expected to increase soon.

•Approved a work permit for Indiana Michigan Power to have the right-of-way for work on several roads, including county roads 1150 West, 1000 West, 500 South, 800 West, 700 West, 600 West, 550 West, 650 West, 450 West, Como Road, 700 South, 325 West, 250 West, 175 West and 100 West.

•Heard from Aker that the bridge replacement project on Indiana 26 (Water Street) on the east side of Portland should be finished by Nov. 1.

•OK’d a letter of support for plans to build an in-patient mental health facility in Delaware County. It would accept patients from across the region, including Jay and Blackford counties.

•Gave Jay County surveyor Brad Daniels permission to purchase a Komatsu excavator from Brandeis Machinery for $200,410, put a $50,000 down payment on the equipment and secure a five-year loan from First Financial Bank for the remainder at an interest rate of 6.16%.

•Signed a $55,405 claim from Glass Capital Motors of Dunkirk for a new Dodge 2500 Tradesman pickup for Jay County Highway Department.

•Selected a $3,520 quote from Progressive Del Toro for paper.