Steve French remembers answering the phone when he was a child.
His parents ran the ambulance service out of Moran, and he would sometimes answer the telephone when calls came.
He remembers a call concerning a heart attack. The ambulance arrived within minutes, but the man passed away.
“I remember as a 10-year-old, hearing her cry and the trauma of her pain,” French said. “So I’ve always been in tune to those concerns. If a call goes out, I want to make sure we are there.”
French, who recently took office as Iola mayor, met with Allen County commissioners Tuesday morning to introduce the new fire chief, Corey Isbell, and talk about a new contract for EMS services.
The county had explored possibly ending its long-time contract with the city for ambulance services, but ultimately entered a new contract.
One of the sticking points had been mutual aid agreements for coverage of communities outside Iola. They previously expressed concerns about incidents in which an ambulance was not available because crews were busy at fire scenes.
The new contract includes provisions ensuring ambulance stations in Humboldt and Moran remain staffed during transfers or “non-EMS activity.”
Isbell assured commissioners ambulance personnel would only perform medical activities when called to a fire, helping to fight a fire only under an extraordinary situation.
Commissioner David Lee asked Isbell how he would determine what constitutes “an extraordinary circumstance.”
Isbell said every call was different, and he was reluctant to discuss specific scenarios in a public setting. He offered to have private conversations with commissioners.
Lee also asked if the county could receive a log of ambulance calls. Isbell said he would defer that question to city council members or the city administrator.
French later said the council would consider requests, and assured commissioners the city and county share a commitment to running a professional department.
“Iola has a vested interest in saving on wear and tear, because Iola is part of the county,” French said.
“We’re fairly new into this contract. I want to see those relationships build and heal. Let’s keep the transparency and the dialogue going.”
Commissioners agreed they were looking forward to continued conversations regarding the ambulance services.
