The Southern Berkshire Ambulance Squad sends over 30 EMS professionals to around 3,000 calls per year to municipalities in the sparsely populated region, including the towns of Sheffield, Mount Washington, Alford, and Egremont. Its new contract with Great Barrington is the first of its kind after almost six decades providing the town emergency services, and it goes for three years with oversight structures and fixed funding increases included.
“That gives us a great baseline to have as a standard on which we grow," said Patrick White, who provides financial consulting to the squad. "We see this as a cost structure that that that we can live with, and the built-in increase of 7.5% a year gives us a little wiggle room going forward.”
Great Barrington’s share of the Southern Berkshire Ambulance Squad’s budget was around $415,000 this year, prompting debate within the town over how to rein in spending on the service after years of increases.
