Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By P.J. GLISSON
Bessemer — The Gogebic County Board of Commissioners took action on several issues relating to public safety at the most recent March 13 meeting.
Commissioners voted to approve a resolution that authorizes the continuation of a surcharge to fund 911 services.
“It will take effect on July 1,” said Heidi DeRosso, the county’s Emergency Services/911 coordinator.
DeRosso said that the county’s 911 Committee recommended continuing the same charge that is currently in effect.
According to the resolution, the surcharge “is necessary to defray the costs of being ready to process and of actually processing 911 calls placed within Gogebic County.”
The resolution notes that the county board approved the 911 emergency service plan on Jan. 9, 2002, and amended it on July 14, 2010, and again on Feb. 8, 2023, “to benefit the citizens of Gogebic County by providing a uniform and well-known emergency telephone number.”
In addition, a March 10, 2020, county election resulted in the approval of funding for the answering of 911 calls and related dispatching, which includes expenses for “facilities, equipment and operations.”
On the same day last week, the county board’s Ambulance Committee voted to authorize a discussion between the county and Watersmeet Township to determine fair terms by which to reimburse the township for its handling of emergency first response service.
As stated in an agenda report, “Watersmeet Township has the longest response time for medical emergency transport. Several years ago, the township established a group of medical first responders who respond to medical emergencies and stabilize/treat patients until an ambulance can arrive.”
The report continues, “Although this doesn’t reduce ambulance response time, it does provide people with necessary treatment until they can be transported.”
The report concludes that the township has requested that the ambulance committee consider giving the township “some level of funding to support this program.”
In other news, the ambulance committee also acknowledged a marketing plan is intended to promote the ambulance millage vote that is scheduled for the November election.
According to DeRosso, public forums will be scheduled in Ironwood and Watersmeet.
She has emphasized that the renewal, which remains under one mill, represents no increase.
The committee also voted to authorize DeRosso and Committee Chairman James Lorenson to meet with Beacon Ambulance of Ironwood and Aspirus MedEvac in Wausau, Wisconsin, to begin working toward a renewal of the county’s emergency service contracts with those companies.
The current three-year contracts will expire on Dec. 31, and renewals cannot be signed until after the November election. “Assuming the millage passes, parties will be ready to sign,” said County Administrator Juliane Giackino in a March 16 email.
