Bradford Township Supervisor Tom Vickery brought up an
unforeseen facet of the much-debated ambulance coverage issue
Monday night at the Bradford Township Supervisors regular meeting
when he suggested the coverage go to the lowest bidder.

Vickery broached the subject by saying he hoped to “minimize
discussion” on the matter, adding his interpretation of state law
regarding how townships conduct themselves when awarding a contract
dictates that the township must bid out any contract over a certain
dollar amount, including an ambulance service contract.

He said he started researching the issue due to concerns he had
over whether fellow supervisor James “Boo” Coder could vote on the
matter since Coder is a captain with the Bradford City Fire
Department. He said he “learned a great deal” in his research, and
that as far as he can tell, any contract that would require the
township to award more than $10,000 for services would have to be
bid out to the “lowest responsible bidder” per state law.

Having reached that conclusion, Vickery asked the room at large,
“Do we really want to contaminate the ambulance service topic any
worse than we already have?” He said people have become
“passionate” about the issue, putting it outside of the realm of
rationality at this point.

Vickery used the recent Lang Maid Lane sewer project and the
bidding process surrounding it as a parallel example to the
ambulance service issue throughout his discussion.

“Tom, we’re talking about the quality of life, here,” one
resident said.

Vickery disagreed, saying the issue was no more complex than any
other “contract of service” situation.

Coder was not at Monday night’s meeting.

Supervisors chairman Cary Frigo said at that point that they
would have to seek written legal advice and determine if Vickery’s
interpretation of the state law was correct. He concluded no voting
or further movement could be taken on the issue until there was
some legal consultation.

The residents in attendance did not let that end the discussion,
however, as Rocco Camas of Fiske Avenue then said, “We’re talking
about a person’s life. You can’t compare that to a sewer.”

Camas pointed out, if Coder would have to abstain from
participating in the bidding or voting process regarding the
ambulance issue, then the supervisors would have to seek legal
advice from someone other than their current solicitor, Greg Henry,
due to Henry’s status as a city employee, which Mayor Michele
Corignani confirmed at the meeting.

Camas pointed out that between the two entities offering
ambulance service at this point – the Bradford City Fire Department
and Brian Gustafson of Priority Care out of Smethport -ðthe city
has given a cost of about $8 per household, while Gustafson quoted
prices from $15 to $30.

“Isn’t that a bid?” Camas asked.

Another point of contention seemed to be the right of the
individual to choose an ambulance service when it came down to the
wire. Most agreed that in the end, it was the individual’s right to
refuse medical treatment at any time. That means they can specify
they only want certain ambulance service.

One resident stood up and asked the mayor and city fire chief
Bill McCormack, who was also at the meeting, if he called for an
ambulance from the city, if one would respond.

Corignani said she would have to check with the Mark Hollenbeck,
the city solicitor, to answer that question, but that if they
could, they would.

“That’s all I want to know,” the man said as he stood to leave.
“As long as they come if I call, I’m going with the city.”

Former township supervisor and Bradford Township Volunteer Fire
Department firefighter Dave Farrell asked the supervisors to make
sure that if the contract does go out to bid, that they would
consider making continued education and training a prerequisite for
the contract.

Frigo and Vickery assured him they would.

McCormack -ðwho lives on Gates Hollow, speaking as a township
resident -ðreminded Vickery he took the position that if the
ambulance service contract went out to bid, he would not settle for
services that do not match up with the service the township
currently gets from the city.

Vickery said he stands by that statement.

Two residents, a female employee of Bradford Regional Medical
Center, and businesswoman Dianne Thompson, wanted to know why the
city needs more money, they said.

Vickery interjected and made an example of the Bradford Area
Public Library, saying that when the library needed money from the
township, they showed the township officials how and why they
needed a specific amount. He said matters at the library were
alleviated when different officials took over management of
finances.

He went on to say that if the city “can’t properly manage its
money,” then the solution should be the same; “change the faces in
the chairs,” he said.

Corignani asked to respond to Vickery’s pointed comments and to
address the residents’ comments that precipitated them. She started
to explain the city’s position when Vickery cut her off, saying
“I’ve heard this so many times, over and over. I could quote
it.”

“Well, then I certainly won’t respond to anything else since it
annoys you,” Corignani said to Vickery.

Eventually, Frigo closed the subject by saying they would have
to wait on any decision based on Vickery’s new finding, and that a
special meeting may have to be called on the matter.

The ambulance coverage issue became a hot topic in August, when
the Bradford City Fire Department gave a presentation at a Tuna
Valley Council of Governments meeting, asking outlying
municipalities currently in receipt of the city’s ambulance service
to contribute financially toward the city department or face the
possibility of losing that service.