Although the EMS workers said the life squad has been operating in the black this year, Judge-Executive Bradley Gifford said the county has had to transfer funds several times this year to help the ambulance service – a total of $9,000 since October.

“It’s like a business. If you continue to lose money, and lose money, and lose money, you can’t continue to operate,” Gifford said.

As a solution, the fiscal court is considering whether it should let a business come in and take over the county’s life squad.

Jim Conley, owner of Care First in Vanceburg, came late to Friday’s meeting to find out more about Robertson County’s situation.

During the meeting, Conley estimated if the life squad could generate about 800 runs a year it could make enough money to run itself at the squad’s current base rate of $275 per run, depending on Medicare.

The EMS made 441 runs last year, although it had to refuse transports because only one ambulance was operable. The life squad made its 113th run this year during the five-hour-long meeting.