VIENNA — The Maries-Osage Ambulance District (MOAD) Board approved new sub-district boundaries during its June 10 meeting.

MOAD expanded its coverage area in both Maries and Osage counties in April after voters in those counties approved an annexation of the Meta area. The volunteer COMM-Unity Ambulance service previously covered the area before ceasing operation in June 2023.

A new map of MOAD’s six sub-districts was unavailable because the district is still having them drawn. The new boundaries will give the board more ground to cover as it continues its search for a representative from Sub-District No. 6 to fill a vacant seat.

During the meeting, the board also discussed the maintenance of the district’s ambulances and bases. A mechanic repaired the fuel leak in the 1990 ambulance. At the time of the meeting, the district was still waiting to schedule transmission repairs. The 2012 ambulance, which recently received a new motor, was smoking and burning oil. Butler said it would go in for repairs later this month. Two of the district’s ambulances also received oil changes.

Board Vice President Steve Maxwell said he had received a flagpole that he would like to install outside the Freeburg base. He said the board had talked about adding a flagpole in the past, but the cost kept it from acting. He suggested flying the American flag and either a POW/MIA or a Missouri flag underneath it. He asked what the current board members thought of the idea.

Board President Don Lanning said he would want the flagpole away from the highway and driveway to keep damage minimal if it were to fall.

The district’s income in May was $95,964.48. Expenses totaled $76,117.45 for a net income of $19,847.03 in May. MOAD Administrator Carla Butler said she had caught up on billing, which brought the district $60,440.10 in service fees in May, which was the most of any month so far this year by about $20,000.

Butler said the company the district uses for maintenance on its power cots and stair chairs plans to raise its subscription cost from $1,485 to $2,500 because MOAD does not meet a minimum equipment requirement. The subscription cost also no longer includes parts. Other companies also offer equipment maintenance.

MOAD responded to 55 calls in May. Of those calls, 39 occurred in the Vienna zone. The district responded to 22 urgent emergencies, 15 dry run emergencies and two transfers in the Vienna area.

In the Freeburg zone, MOAD responded to 16 calls including 12 urgent emergencies and four dry run emergencies.

At previous meetings, board members asked how often MOAD answers calls in the Meta area now that it is part of the district’s coverage zone.

Butler said she asked both Maries County and Osage County dispatch centers for the data. Only Maries County had provided the data at the time of the meeting. In 2023, Maries County dispatched MOAD to Meta 16 times between June 1, when COMM-Unity Ambulance dissolved, and the end of the year. So far this year, Maries County has dispatched MOAD to Meta 12 times. Butler estimated Osage County’s figures were about double the Maries County totals.

In May, the average time from a call to getting an ambulance en route was 3.72 minutes. The average time for an ambulance en route to arrive on a scene was 13.60 minutes. The average time from an ambulance arriving on a scene to leaving a scene was 24.11 minutes. The average time from an ambulance leaving a scene to reaching a destination was 41.35 minutes. The average time from an ambulance reaching its destination to arriving back in service was 70.54 minutes.

Board member Laura Stratman said the on-scene time seemed long.

Butler said the on-scene time was something she had discussed during quality improvement meetings with the district’s medical liaison. During the meetings, the liaison reviews statistics and how they compare to other districts in the area. Butler said in the latest review, MOAD’s on-scene time was the longest of any of the medical liaison’s districts. She said she notified staff members so they were aware that the data was tracked.

Recent public events MOAD staff attended included the Vienna Chamber of Commerce Sausage and Crawfish Boil, the Maries County Sheriff’s Posse Rodeo and the Freeburg Car Cruise-In. Upcoming events include CPR training with Maries R-1 staff, the Freeburg fireworks display and the Argyle/Koeltztown Fire Department softball tournament.