Ambulance Service
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Emergency Number: 911
WCEMSA
(Washington County Emergency Medical Service Authority)
Created on January 25, 2001 by the 110th Maine State Legislature.
WCEMSA was formed to provide emergency medical services for the Washington County area, and surrounding counties, after the region's private company ceased operation in December, 2000. The Authority is a Quasi Municipal agency (non profit) and the governing body of the Downeast Ambulance Service based in Calais, Maine.
DOWNEAST EMS
 The Calais based operation is managed by Dan Carlow
Vicki Lincoln, Office Manager
Phone Numbers (non-emergency)
207 454-2773 or 207 454-7400
Address: P O Box 552, Calais, ME
WCEMSA INFORMATION
Chairman: George "Bud" Finch
Vice Chairman: Jeffery Brown
Treasurer: Linda Pagel
Secretary: Melinda Krestel
The organization has grown over the 4 years of operation and is of critical importance to the communities it serves. Below are the financial numbers for running the operation on an annul basis based on the factual data collected over a time period.
ANNUAL OPERATIONS
Annual Operating Costs -- $1.100M
Annual Revenue -- $1.035M
Insurance - $375K
Medicare - $350K
Member Stipend - $160K
Member Additional - $150K
Annual Shortfall -- 0.065M
* Excluded from this is the capital revenue necessary to replace ambulances at a rate of one per year at an estimated cost of $95K.
PAYROLL - The Authority is not only a significant and irreplaceable emergency necessity for the communities it serves, it is an economic generator with a hefty payroll and benefits package.
Fiscal Year 2004 -- $694,480
OPERATIONS - In addition to the payroll, the Authority also provides significant local expenditures based on the procurement of goods and services, most of which is provided locally.
Fiscal Year 2004 -- $228,360
Responses - The Authority, through its 3-staffed base station, 2 volunteer base stations, and 2 first responder bases, responds to over 2,500 call per year. The service also provides advanced life support intercept for other smaller emergency services as well as transfers requirements for Lifeflight out of Eastern Maine Medical Center.
Area Served - Since the consolidation effort began, the Authority has expanded in both size and scope. With a Legislative change in our second year of operation, the Authority grew beyond its Washington County designation and now covers an area from Lubec, to Wesley on Route 9, to Danforth and surrounding small communities in Aroostook and Penobscot Counties. This population served by our service is close to 20,000 plus the all-important Route 9 and Route 1 traffic corridors.
Debt Service & Cash Flow - In addition to the above data, we have struggled to offset the initial cost start up of both operations and equipment. The procurement of $850,000 worth of ambulances and equipment, the cost of the temporary service during the first 6-plus months provided by Meridian Health Care and the losses of Medicare and Insurance reimbursements due to the time frame required to start up the operation, while not missing a single emergency response. Our initial debt load of close to $1M has been reduced significantly but the revenue stream issues still cause daily cash flow problems. At any one point time our accounts receivable from Medicare and Insurance is in the neighborhood of
$250,000.
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