MOAD Board approves moving forward with Osage County Dispatching

Laura Schiermeier, Staff Writer
Posted 1/31/19

VIENNA —   After two years of conversations between the Maries-Osage Ambulance District (MOAD) administrator and the head of Osage County Dispatching, the MOAD Board has voted to move …

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MOAD Board approves moving forward with Osage County Dispatching

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VIENNA —  After two years of conversations between the Maries-Osage Ambulance District (MOAD) administrator and the head of Osage County Dispatching, the MOAD Board has voted to move forward with efforts to dispatch Osage County ambulance calls out of Osage County.

At the MOAD Board’s January meeting, Administrator Brian Opoka said just before Christmas he received a proposal from Osage County to provide dual dispatching that identified what they are willing to do. There will be an annual fee of $4,000 to help maintain the equipment and MOAD will need to update its FCC license, which costs $75 every 10 years. This $4,000 fee is the same price Belle Fire Department pays Osage County for its dispatching services. Board member Laura Stratman said she knows the City of Vienna pays Maries County for dispatching. Vienna City Hall confirmed it pays $5,000 annually to the sheriff’s office for dispatching.

Opoka said this is good news because it will cut the delay time for MOAD’s calls coming from Osage County. Under the new arrangement, an Osage County call will come into the Osage County Dispatch Center and the MOAD crew will be dispatched out, and once in route the crew will work  off of Maries County Dispatch. It will cut the delay time as currently the calls come into Osage County, which in turn calls Maries County and then Maries County dispatches out the ambulance. Opoka said the equipment to get this service change up and running costs $2,800 and Osage County will maintain it.

This will be a dual dispatch process that will have to be approved by all parties involved. This will include Osage Dispatch, Maries-Osage Ambulance District, as well as Maries County Dispatch. Opoka noted verbal approvals by all parties has been agreed on, but all parties will have to be in agreement to the contract  prior to implementation. He said MOAD will need to sit down with Osage and Maries dispatch to “hash out” the details so they are “all on the same page.” He wants to wait until June or July as they need a few months to get the equipment. A new policy will be needed also.

MOAD Board member Laura Stratman said for two and a half years they’ve worked on this and she doesn’t think $4,000 is an unreasonable amount for Osage County to charge. “It sounds like a lot, but if you are the person who needs the ambulance, it’s not much at all,” Stratman commented.

Opoka agreed as now Osage County gets the call and gathers information and contacts Maries County Dispatch and gives them the information, and then they dispatch MOAD. In Freeburg, the firemen are out and heading toward the incident called in before MOAD knows about the crisis and before the ambulance is dispatched. 

MOAD Board member Victor Stratman said Maries County at the April Election is asking voters to approve a $1 per device fee on phones to support 911 dispatch services. Opoka said Missouri is one of only two states in the United States that does not have a tax to support 911. Over the past 10 years the Missouri Legislature has been asked to pass legislation to help 911 services throughout the state and last March this finally was done. “It was a much needed thing,” Opoka said. MOAD Board President Don Lanning said he’d like to see 911 Dispatch as its own entity. Vic Stratman said they want to have more staffing for the county’s dispatch center. Opoka said he hopes voters approve it because it is much needed.

He asked the board to make a decision at the meeting even though Vice President Steve Maxwell was not present. Opoka said he knows Maxwell supports this. Laura Stratman made the motion to go forward with the Osage County dispatch process and board member Eileen Smith seconded the motion that was approved by the board.

In other business at the January MOAD Board meeting:

—Opoka said they were following federal legislation about the siren act to help get siren funding. This was moving forward until the government shutdown. 

—Opoka said the Medixsafe, the narcotics safes for the ambulances, have arrived and they are in the process of being installed by the base coordinator. They will be programed to the onboard laptops.

—Board Secretary/Treasurer Wilma Stephen has filed for reelection as a board member for subdistrict four and Laura Stratman has filed for reelection as the board member for subdistrict one.

—In the financial report, Opoka reported December income of $60,956.41 and expenditures of $49,283.71 for a net income of $11,672.70. 

The income sources were Maries County taxes $17,811.18, Osage County taxes $10,392.54, service fees $14,996.65, training fees $40, collection agency $40, sales tax $17,596.06, and interest income $79.98.

Opoka gave the fourth quarter financial report for 2018. The year-to-date budgeted revenue was $692,000 and actual revenue was $670,033 for a negative variance of $21,967. Budgeted year-to-date expenses were $692,000 and actual expenses were $648,816 for a positive variance of $43,184. Year-to-date revenues over expenses  for 2018 was $21,217.

Opoka commented the expenses were less than budgeted because of the lower call volume for the ambulance district. “There was not as much revenue, but not as many expenses,” he said.

Laura Stratman asked if they made an extra payment on the Freeburg Base property. Opoka said MOAD does not owe a payment this year because they are so far ahead in payment. 

—Opoka said the Missouri Legislature is working on treatment/no transport legislation that will allow ambulance districts to bill for supplies used when they treat on the scene but do not transport a patient to the hospital. This is happening more and more as the ambulance responds and the patient refuses to be transported. Opoka said MOAD won’t get a lot of money from it (about $200) but it will be reimbursed for supplies. It will be billed through the insurance companies. Medicaid is doing this also. He said payment may be determined by what is treated and the outcome. As with any proposed legislation, they will have to wait and see what and if it goes through.