The coronavirus pandemic has taken a toll on the Rock Township Ambulance District in recent weeks, causing staff to scramble to cover shifts and slowing progress on construction projects to relocate two of its houses.
“We had 10 (employees) test positive (for COVID-19). Those 10 had to be out, so (their hours) had to be covered,” Rock Townhsip Ambulance Chief Jerry Appleton said. “It was a rough time around here for a couple of weeks.”
Those who may have been exposed to coworkers who tested positive were allowed to continue working as long as they tested negative, had no fever and were vigilant about wearing masks and other protective gear, Appleton said.
“That is according to CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and state and local Health Department guidelines. Here in emergency services, we don’t have the luxury of quarantining,” he said. “Our crews are exposed every day, and if we quarantined everyone who came in contact with the virus, we’d quickly have nobody working at all. So, we take every precaution, and we monitor very closely for symptoms, but they continue to work.”
Appleton said the district struggled at first to get some employees tested.
“We wound up using some of the CARES funding to buy our own testing supplies,” he said.
Fortunately, those who tested positive have recovered and returned to work, Appleton said.
“Everyone is back and healthy, and we learned that no amount of planning can prepare us for everything,” he said. “We got over $300,000 in CARES funding from Jefferson County’s $26 million share. We applied for ventilators, IV pumps and video laryngoscopes to assist with the care of patients as well as to plan for future outbreaks or other pandemics that may occur.”
The district also took the opportunity to replace its aging turnout gear.
“We still have a hard time getting gowns from any of our vendors or from the government stash,” Appleton said. “So we also were able to get additional turnout gear that can provide protection for our staff. Our current gear is quite old and offered little if any protection against viral contact. The new stuff does and can be washed and reused for many years.”
In spite of extra expenses associated with the pandemic, Appleton said the district still anticipates ending the year in good financial shape.
“So far, we have been able to control a lot of what we spend and make some cuts in some areas to offset the huge increase in medical supplies,” he said. “So, even with all of the unknowns and what-ifs that 2020 has brought us, we still anticipate being under budget and are able to present a balanced budget for 2021.
“I am recommending no increase in user fees for next year. We will set the rates for service, approve the budget proposal for 2021, then just go home and enjoy the holidays.”
New houses under construction
The pandemic also has affected the district’s two construction projects.
They are expected to be completed over the next several months, roughly a year later than originally planned.
The $5 million construction project is taking place on two sites.
House 1, originally built in 1992 at Lonedell Road and Astra Way Drive in Arnold, just off Hwy. 141 across from the complex that houses the Arnold Recreation Center and Arnold Library complex, is being relocated to a 2.1-acre property just off Jeffco Boulevard near the Hickory Square subdivision in Arnold.
That property, which sits just behind the Family Video store, was purchased for $130,000. Construction began in June, about three months behind schedule, but work is going smoothly, Appleton sad.
“All the walls are up and the roof is on,” he said. “Some inside plumbing and electrical is being roughed in. It’s moving along really well; we’re looking at a substantial completion date of late May.”
House 2, built in 1986 on Hwy. 21 in the Shady Valley area, is being relocated to a 13.8-acre tract at the intersection of Konert and Romaine Creek roads in unincorporated Fenton.
That land was purchased for $325,000. Work began on the site in August, and things have progressed more slowly, Appleton said.
“There’s been a lot of dirt moved and we now have concrete footings and foundations,” he said. “Weather delays over there have been rough; this project is looking more like a September completion.”
Both land parcels were purchased in July 2019 and the land and construction is being paid for with money from a $23 million bond issue district voters passed in November 2018.
Original estimates called for construction to be completed last summer.
District officials hope the realignment of facilities will help disperse district resources more effectively.
“We ran 10,000 calls in 2019,” Appleton said. “And it’s just going up. We’re trying to keep up with it. With these relocations, call volume will be more evenly spread, and response times will be reduced. It will take the burden off one truck running 10 calls a day and another two or three.”
Once the new facilities are complete and the relocations finished, Appleton said the district will likely put the current House 1 and House 2 properties up for sale. Even further down the road, plans call for the district to relocate the current House 3, built in 1995 at 1500 Prehistoric Hill Drive in Imperial, northward to the Telegraph Road area in Arnold, and to eventually add a House 5 in the Seckman Valley.
House 4, built in 2015 at 6707 St. Luke’s Church Road in Barnhart, will continue to serve as the district’s headquarters.