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You have all heard about the New Hope Rescue Squad's abortive attempt <br /> to secure a Farmers Home Administration loan to acquire an ambulance. Nearly <br /> a year ago they received a telegram from Congressman Fountain advising them <br /> they had been awarded this loan. On the basis of this telegram a group of <br /> New Hope residents went to Central Carolina Bank and borrowed $20,000 on <br /> their signatures to move rapidly ahead with the ambulance purchase. In any <br /> event New Hope got the ambulance but the loan from Farmers Home did not <br /> materialize. The ambulance was transferred to the Orange County Rescue Squad <br /> building in late July. The New Hope loan is soon to become due. New Hope <br /> wants to know what the County intends to do. Their choices are limited. <br /> Either the County or one of the rescue squads buys the ambulance from them <br /> or they will be forcedto let it go back to Central Carolina Bank. I have <br /> talked with Mr. Baker and he says we cannot operate the current ambulance <br /> program functioning out of the Orange County Station without this ambulance <br /> so our chances are rather limited too, either buy this ambulance from New <br /> Hope, or ask Orange County Rescue Squad to buy this ambulance,(which they <br /> probably would do if we provided them the funds for annual payments on the <br /> loan) , or for us to lease it from the Central Carolina Bank on a lease pur- <br /> chase plan. <br /> Perhaps the crux of our EMS problem is that the County has legal <br /> responsibility of providing EMS and controls no equipment to provide this <br /> service. To provide this service the County needs to own at least five <br /> ambulances. We currently own one. Acquisition of this ambulance is one <br /> additional step toward acquiring the resources necessary to operate an <br /> EMS program. We have sufficient funds within our vehicle acquisition account <br /> to purchase this ambulance if the Board is willing for us to take this action. <br /> I do not feel we are solving any of our problems by providing funds to either <br /> of the rescue squads to purchase this vehicle in their name on some type of <br /> time payment plan. For us to move ahead with acquisition of equipment to <br /> operate an EMS Program the County must be prepared to acquire one new <br /> ambulance a year at least. <br />