AUGUSTA — At its Jan. 8 meeting, the Maine Emergency Medical Services Board voted unanimously in favor of granting Rockport a license to transport patients to hospitals. The vote clears the Town of Rockport to operate its own new ground ambulance service at the EMT level, permitted to the paramedic level, with a 911 Primary Service area of Rockport and its 3,600 citizens. 

The decision was made after board members reviewed qualifying criteria, which includes:

A. The Board finds the applicant’s proposed response time(s), enroute time(s), transport times(s), and the time-tolerance(s) are sufficient to protect the health, welfare, and safety of the public within the 9-1-1 Primary Response Area based on evidence provided;

B. If the 9-1-1 Primary Response Area is currently served by a licensed ground ambulance or non-transporting service, the proposed ties above are maintained or improved;

C. Public comment(s) received;

D. Discipline undertaken by the Board and any Letters of Guidance that have not expired for the ambulance service currently serving the 9-1-1 Primary Response Area;

E. An evaluation of the potential impact upon existing ground ambulance and non-transporting services; and

F. The character of ownership of a proposed service.

There was little discussion by the EMS board as members considered the application for approximately 15 minutes. 

Maine EMS Licensing Agent Melissa Adams encouraged the board to assess the town's application in accordance with the criteria, for the sake of procedure.

Board members acknowledged public comment, which included letters of support from State Representative Vick Doudera and Senator Ann Beebe-Center, as well as letters of concern from the town manager and administrators of Camden, Hope and Lincolnville.

They also acknowledged the letter from North East Mobile Health Services, the private entity that currently responds to EMS calls in Rockport, as well as Camden, Hope and Lincolnville.

Rockport intends to sever its ties with NEMHS in June, when the current contract with that service ends.

For more than a decade, Camden, Hope, Lincolnville and Rockport have been contracting individually with the privately-owned North East Mobile Health Services ambulance service. That service is located on Route 1 in Rockport and sends out responding EMS crews and ambulances when dispatched by Knox Regional Communications Center in Rockland, the 911 call center for Knox County.

As of December, Rockport now has fulltime firefighters/EMT/paramedics working 24/7 to respond to emergencies. The new West Rockport Fire Station is due for completion in February and EMS response is to be based there.

At the Jan. 8 EMS board meeting, Rockport Fire Chief Jason Peasley noted that the voters of Rockport approved the $1.2 million investment in its own EMS service.

"We spent roughly two years putting this together," said Peasley. "We held multiple workshops open to the public, inviting public comment. During that time there was absolutely no negative feedback or comments from any one of the 3,500 residents in Rockport and the vote passed overwhelmingly. And that was a $1.2 million increase of this budget for the citizens of Rockport."

In November, the neighboring towns of Camden, Hope and Lincolnville weighed in with individual letters to the state, saying an approved Rockport transport license will take a fiscal toll on their own citizens. 

Those letters followed the Nov. 6 meeting of the EMS board when it told Rockport it needed a consultant report that would address whether switching a ground ambulance service is in the best interests of the region; that such a change would maintain or improve patient care; maintain and/or improve patient care quality, and/or improve system efficiencies and use of resources.

All three letters referenced the right of Rockport for self-determination, but they all cited a negative impact on their taxpayers.

The four towns share the financial cost of the North East service, according to their own population. With the coming budget season, the three towns will need to determine how to pay for the regional NEMHS without Rockport paying a share.

Hope had said it would face a 56 percent increase, or $92,400, over what it pays now.

Lincolnville estimated a cost increase of $125,000.

Camden anticipated an increase from $363,677 in 2025 to $648,598 in 2026.

At the EMS board meeting, one board member noted the financial impact on the other three towns, noting and reiterating the recommendations of the consultancy report, which were ensuring capacity building to coordination of regional collaboration.

NEMHS CEO Rick Petrie said Jan. 8, following the board meeting: "NEMHS has learned that the Maine EMS Board granted the Town of Rockport’s request to start their own transporting ambulance service. While this decision represents a departure from the  Commitment of the State Legislature and Maine EMS to promote and support regional EMS response systems as the most operationally and fiscally responsible way to deliver Emergency Medical Services in a resource-strapped state, we remain committed to providing quality 911 coverage to the citizens and visitors of Camden, Lincolnville, and Hope."

Reach Editorial Director Lynda Clancy at lyndaclancy@penbaypilot.com; 207-706-6657