Benton Harbor-based Medic 1 Ambulance service could soon be expanding.
At the regular Oronoko Township board meeting Tuesday, Medic 1 Director Jason Wiley informed trustees the ambulance service has an agreement in principle to take over service of several Berrien County municipalities currently serviced by Pride Care Ambulance.
Wiley said he was approached last November by several municipalities in northern Berrien County while he was still interim director, but put the decision on hold until recently.
“It’s going to take place in a couple different stages over the next eight months,” Wiley said. “We’ll be taking over the entirety of north Berrien.”
Pride Care currently services Coloma Township, the city of Coloma, Hagar Township, Bainbridge Township and the city of Watervliet in Berrien County. They also service all of Kalamazoo County and 14 other municipalities across Cass and Van Buren counties.
Medic 1 currently services Baroda Township, Benton Township, Berrien Township, City of Benton Harbor, City of Bridgman, City of New Buffalo, City of St. Joseph, Chikaming Township, Lake Township, Lincoln Township, New Buffalo Township, Oronoko Township, Royalton Township, Sodus Township, St. Joseph Township, Village of Berrien Springs, and Watervliet Township, and Weesaw Township.
The agreement would still need to be approved by the Medic 1 board, and Wiley said the details of the contract are still not finalized. He did say, however, the agreement means Medic 1 will need to add two new ambulances to its fleet and hire additional staff. The first ambulance would potentially arrive sometime this summer.
Wiley said in terms of potential hires, there are 30 EMT students between area CTE classes and their night class, and there are an additional 26 paramedic students – 21 of which have been paid via grant money to go to class tuition-free. He said Medic one and other regional ambulance services combined forces to apply for the grant.
If Pride Care leaves Berrien County, the move would leave Medic 1 and SMCAS as the only two ambulance services in the area, Wiley said.
