Gaines approves 3-year contract with Mercy Flight for ambulance services

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 December 2024 at 8:21 am

All 7 towns have now voted for Mercy in $250,000 agreement

Photo by Tom Rivers: A Mercy Flight EMS ambulance and crew was in service on Sept. 20 at an Albion varsity football game. Mercy Flight is using the former COVA base in Albion.

GAINES – The Town of Gaines on Monday voted in favor of Mercy Flight EMS to provide ambulance services in the town for the next three years.

Gaines is part of a seven-town consortium that has contracted for ambulance services since 2023. Monroe Ambulance was the provider in 2023 and 2024 in one-year contracts.

“It basically came down to a cost difference between the two,” said Tyler Allport, the Gaines town supervisor. “It’s the same service but Mercy is more affordable.”

The seven towns put out an RFP (request for proposals) and Mercy Flight was the low bidder at $250,000 in 2025, $275,000 in 2026 and $300,000 in 2027.

Monroe Ambulance’s bid was $570,000 in 2025. The two organizations offered similar services in the bid – two basic life support ambulances, and one advanced life support fly car in the seven towns for 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A fly car doesn’t transport patients, but will have personnel that can provide higher levels of care than the BLS ambulances.

Mercy Flight plans to stage ambulances and the fly car at the former COVA base on South Main Street in Albion and the Fancher-Hulberton-Murray fire hall on Hulberton Road in Murray.

The contract increases ambulance services from the agreements in 2023 and 2024 when Monroe agreed to one ALS ambulance based in Albion and a BLS ambulance based in Holley for 12 hours at the firehall and then 12 hours from Brockport at Strong West.

Monroe was paid $300,000 by the seven towns in 2024, and was paid $181,200 in 2023. (It would have been $200,000, but Kendall didn’t pay in the first year.)

“I want to thank Monroe for the level of service,” Allport said during Monday’s Town Board meeting. “They’ve had a stellar record for the Town of Gaines.”

With the Gaines vote, all seven towns have now ratified the contract, which starts Jan. 1 and goes until Dec. 31, 2027.

The seven towns are divvying up the costs based on a percentage of current call volume.

Here is the financial breakdown for the seven towns in the contract for 2025:

Albion, $93,000 ($155,820 in 2024)
Barre, $11,000 ($13,740 in 2024)
Carlton, $18,500 ($22,350 in 2024)
Clarendon, $28,000 ($25,350 in 2024)
Gaines, $38,500 ($12,030 in 2024)
Kendall, $12,750 ($17,850 in 2024)
Murray, $48,250 ($52,860 in 2024)

Medina Fire Department is the primary ambulance provider in western Orleans for the towns of Shelby, Ridgeway and Yates. Each of the towns pays Medina $35,000 a year and those funds go towards the cost of a new ambulance.