Defib units sought by county
By COBY LaRUE
Staff
The Alleghany County Board of Commissioners learned of a number of capital needs the county has that could be addressed through a loan.
Among those needs are a new loader at the transfer facility, which the commissioners already have purchased, along with a new scale for weighing trucks there. County Manager Don Adams said the scale will cost the county about $70,000, but the cheapest bids came in at more than $80,000. To help lessen the cost, he said county employees could do some of the cement work on the pit wall around the scale. The cost of the loader was already announced at an earlier meeting at about $95,000.
In addition, the county emergency medical services has need of three new defibrulator units, three new radios and three transmission systems. The total cost of those three items is about $59,000.
Adams said he would anticipate that the county would need to borrow about $224,000 to cover all the needs.
With a loan amount anticipated to be 3.3 percent, Adams said the county would pay a net cost of about $16,686.
In addition the other needs, Adams said EMS also has need of a stretcher to handle clients of a larger size. Adams said one recent case involving an emergency required EMS to pick up a client weighing about 700 pounds.
Adams said the county's hydraulic stretchers aren't made to handle that much weight and the one used was ‘stressed' and needed repairs.
A new stretcher designed to handle heavier patients will cost the county about $17,000. The hydraulic stretcher will help lift the patient into the ambulance and a pully is also included to help get the stretcher into the ambulance.
Adams said the EMS had to refuse to take the patient to Wake Forest University Medical Center on a non-emergency call due to the lack of appropriate equipment. "We had employees who felt like it wasn't safe," said Adams. He noted that the EMS Director said the county may be able to get its existing stretcher fixed under warranty.
Commissioner Milly Richardson noted that the county could face workers compensation claims if it didn't have appropriate equipment.
Chair Ken Richardson asked Adams to bring the needs back to the next meeting.
Commissioner Randy Miller asked Adams to return with exact numbers on all the costs. Commissioners M. Richardson and Miller both favor an outright purchase. "I'd like to see us pay right then antd there," Miller said.
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