News

By Angie Francalancia
    
With continuing uncertainty over emergency services for the coastal towns, Ocean Ridge City Manager Ken Schenck reached out to private ambulance company American Medical Response to investigate options.
    It could cost as much as $650,000, would require changes to several existing agreements, and could happen no sooner than about 18 months from now. But Schenck said it was necessary for the town to know its options, given the potential for changes to its existing fire rescue contract with the city of Boynton Beach.
    Ocean Ridge has offered to house one of Boynton Beach’s rescue vehicles at its municipal building and has sent building plans to Boynton Beach Fire Chief Ray Carter to examine its feasibility. But the city had received no response by late last month.
    “AMR would charge $650,000 a year for one ambulance 24/7. It doesn’t matter if it’s three communities or one. That’s the price,” Schenck told the Ocean Ridge Commission last month.
    Leaders from Ocean Ridge, Briny Breezes and Manalapan talked to AMR following conversations in which they talked of sharing rescue service that would be stationed on the barrier islands. Ocean Ridge and Briny Breezes now get fire rescue service from Boynton Beach, and Manalapan is under a contract with Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue. One of the first hurdles would be deciding where home base would be, Schenck said.
    “We don’t know what Manalapan wants to do,” Schenck said. “If Manalapan wants to have it located up there, it wouldn’t work for Briny.”
     Manalapan Town Manager Linda Stumpf said that with nearly two years left on the town’s contract with Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue, it’s too early to know. AMR did provide emergency rescue service for the town before it contracted with the county, though, she said.
    The distance from Manalapan’s northernmost boundary to Briny Breezes, which is south of Ocean Ridge, is about 7 miles. That’s a longer distance at the extremes than having an ambulance cross a bridge to reach residents.
    Still, Schenck said, the towns needed to explore all options.
    “We don’t even know whether Boynton would want to provide just fire. At $650,000 for an ambulance, I’m not sure we could afford it. But we had to know what was out there.”