By Vernon Robison
Moapa Valley Progress
Submitted April 16, 2008
The Moapa Valley Town Advisory Board (MVTAB) held a discussion about enhancing emergency medical services to the Moapa Valley community at a meeting held on Wednesday, April 9. It was a return to the subject after a more extensive discussion with Clark County Fire Department (CCFD) officials which was held last month. The CCFD had forwarded the answers to several MVTAB member’s questions which had been left open from last month’s meeting. MVTAB Chairwoman, Judy Metz presented each question with its answer.
The question had been asked whether the Moapa Valley Fire District was free to contract with any entities, other than CCFD, to provide services to the district. The answer was “…yes, as a separate entity the MV Fire District has authority to enter into agreements with other jurisdictions.”
MVTAB member, Rik Eide wondered whether that meant that the community could contract with private, for-profit companies as well. He stated that imposing a tax would put that tax in force forever without an end. As an alternative, the community might work with a for-profit company to provide emergency services.
“If we can take some of the existing funds from the slush fund money that the CCFD finally showed us that we have, and use it to give a private company a stipend of some kind that would augment their income as their business grows out here and becomes profitable, then at some point that expense goes away,” Eide said.
Eide said that the community should have discussions with ambulance companies in Las Vegas to see if they would be willing to provide service to the Moapa Valley in a for-profit situation.
Another question from the board to CCFD officials had been whether the MV Fire District could hire CCFD paramedics who are local residents to serve on an on-call basis during their days off.
The answer, according to Metz, was not entirely certain. CCFD officials wrote in response that, “…this matter is better brought before the state labor commission who would decide whether it would be a matter of collective bargaining.”
Metz said that she would like to further explore the on-call idea with the labor commission. “What I’m looking for is a way to get paramedics to run on our ambulances out here when needed,” Metz said. “If they live in the valley and wish to help out on the ambulances out here, they should be able to do that.”
