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00000179-2419-d250-a579-e41d38650002Issues of food, fuel, and field affecting Illinois.

The Cost Of Keeping A Small Town Ambulance Service

Auburn Ambulance Service

When it's a matter of life and death, you call for an ambulance.  But seconds can save lives.  Having an ambulance close by is a luxury for some communities, especially in smaller, rural areas.  There's a cost and often, the number of calls are too few to support it.

In Auburn, it's a similar story.  But the Auburn Area Ambulance Service won't give up.  The not for profit has found a way to get donations.  It's launched a subscription service.

"We've got three different tiers: single, family and household that we charge $25, $45 and $65 respectively," said Robbin Terry, the Coordinator and President.  Most additional expenses after insurance would be waived for those who sign up. 

The service is now in a new building after the service was forced to move from the city owned structure where it was housed. That's added to the bills. 

"The revenues we raise each year pretty much cover our day to day expenses. The issue we run into is 5, 6 or 7 years from now, we're going to need to replace an ambulance.  This is going to help us continue to provide an (ambulance) service in Auburn."

The response has been good, he said.

Auburn's ambulance averages about a call per day.  Response times are between 5 and 10 minutes.  Terry says calling an ambulance to come from Springfield can take 20 minutes.

For more details, you can contact Terry at his business phone 217-438-6235.

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