May 20, 2013
Members of the Slocomb Rescue Squad serve not only their immediate community, but also much of Eastern Geneva County, including Faydette and Malvern.
But, Captain Kyle Hovey said his group can no longer afford to comply with a state requirement to staff their operations 24/7. The bulk of the squad's $100,000 a year budget comes from billing the people they transport, but Hovey said increasing rates is not an option.
And Hovey said the squad has never been properly funded by local government.
But Mayor Vickie Moore said the public will still have access to emergency medical care.
The nearby town of Hartford hired two full-time emergency medical personnel last Summer and Mayor Moore said Slocomb is looking at possibly consolidating with that operation.
She said the town is also looking into the possibility of a privately owned ambulance company opening an office in Slocomb.
Geneva County residents voted down a $30 fee in November that Hovey said "would have" provided each local rescue squad with about $30,000 a year in operating revenue.
