KEENE, NH – The City of Keene will move forward in an agreement with Cheshire EMS for back-up ambulance service.

City Manager Elizabeth Dragon went before the Keene City Council Thursday evening asking that Section 26 of the Rules of Order be suspended to allow action on the agreement, which would authorize her to execute a sole source back-up ambulance agreement with Cheshire EMS.

The council unanimously approved the suspension of the rules, and approved the authorization for Dragon to move forward with the contract 10-2, with Councilors Raleigh Ormerod and Andrew Madison, who was participating remotely, opposed.

Since the closure of DiLuzio Ambulance earlier this year, the city has been receiving backup service from Rescue Inc. on a 90-day contract.  As of November 1st, Rescue Inc. have pulled their crew and ambulances from Keene fire stations but have continued to provide limited assistance as the city looked for a more permanent solution, and negotiated with Cheshire EMS.

“I’m happy to say I got everything I asked for, and agreed to nothing that I didn’t want,” Dragon said as she explained the negotiation process. “Really it was a very favorable agreement for the city.”

Among other things, the agreement stipulates that Keene Fire will remain the primary provider for ambulance service within the city, and Cheshire EMS will provide backup service for Keene and its contract towns, which include Nelson, Roxbury, Chesterfield, Surry, and Sullivan.

During Thursday’s meeting Dragon said the County wanted Keene Fire to provide back-up services for Cheshire EMS as well, but Dragon argued that fire personnel are stretched too thin as it is and the County agreed to move forward without that.

Cheshire EMS will also take over DiLuzio’s role in responding to non-emergent calls from nursing homes within the city for urgent and scheduled transfers in a private agreement.

The agreement also includes a 90-day clause to terminate the agreement by either party for no cause and says Dragon and County Administrator Chris Coates will meet quarterly to review operations. Dragon also included a clause to prevent the city and the county from competing for contracts in the future.

Councilor Bettina Chadbourne also proposed sending the matter to the Finance, Organization, and Personnel Committee for further scrutiny. Mayor George Hansel recommended separating that from this particular contract and submitting a communication to get the ball rolling on a discussion while this agreement is in place.

“This model that’s being discussed in this agreement is just an emphasis on business as usual,” Councilor Thomas Powers said.

Dragon noted that the city has continued concerns over the County’s financial model, and in the most recent draft of the agreement she included a clause stating that the County has assured the city that Cheshire EMS will remain a separate county enterprise fund not funded by tax dollars, and will have no impact on the county tax rate.

The city has also raised concerns about the County’s use of American Rescue Plan funds to establish Cheshire EMS. Dragon included another clause stating that the city is not expressing support for or endorsement of the funding mechanism used by the county to establish and operate Cheshire EMS.

“I understand that there’s a lot of concern moving forward, and to be honest there’s no trust,” Dragon said. “The only way to build trust is over time, and I think it’s going to take some time for us to build that back, but this will at least start moving us in that direction.”

Dragon urged the council to authorize her to move forward with the contract because the options are limited for back-up service, and a plan needed to be put in place quickly to avoid any lapse in emergency services.

“Will Cheshire EMS be the perfect answer? Probably not,” Dragon said. “But it will at least provide some assistance when we need it… and the concerns related to whether or not they violated ARPA rules, whether or not they violated any sort of laws related to providing ambulance services… That’s really for someone else to determine, and that’s really beyond the scope of what we need to do as a city.”

Dragon will join WKBK’s Open Mic program at 9:10 Friday morning to further discuss the agreement.