Newly elected Wiscasset selectman Kimberly Andersson attended the first part of Tuesday’s Public Safety Advisory Committee meeting to ask the panel about the possible outsourcing of  ambulance service to CLC of Damariscotta. Andersson said she had learned Edgecomb had pulled out of the Wiscasset service primarily due to the uncertainty of the service being offered in the long term.

Andersson said the situation creates instability for Wiscasset residents, for employees of the ambulance service, and for the outlying towns that rely on Wiscasset Ambulance Service. WAS Director Toby Martin said CLC might consider taking on Westport Island, but has already stated it does not want to accept Dresden. Wiscasset already has a signed contract with Dresden for services.

Wiscasset selectmen are considering moving forward with a proposal by CLC on July 17. A discussion is scheduled July 10.

Andersson said she would be interested in the data collected on the ambulance service costs. Martin referred her to an earlier report, called the Tidewater Report, which he said should be available to her at the town office.

Martin brought up the September 2016 death of Ellen Wanser of Wiscasset. According to Martin and to Wanser’s husband Randy, a CLC ambulance refused to take her to Mid Coast Hospital and instead took her to Miles, where her treatment was delayed more than five hours before she was sent to Maine Medical Center in Portland. Randy Wanser wrote in an Oct. 18, 2016 letter, he asked for the ambulance to take her to Mid Coast, knowing she would need dialysis that could only be offered there or at MMC. CLC refused the request, despite his explaining the situation repeatedly, Wanser wrote. According to Wanser, the only options CLC offered were to refuse transportation or go to Miles Hospital, where his wife did not want to go.

She died the next day. In the letter to WAS, her husband wrote: “Unfortunately, it is too late for my wife, but I hope that I can save other families from the stress, pain, and intimidation that Ellen and I experienced.”

In a letter to CLC after Ellen Wanser’s death, Martin wrote that in past cases, CLC had taken patients to Mid Coast upon request, and he pointed out the difference in distance was only five miles.

Martin said Wanser’s case was not the only one where patients were taken to Miles against their wishes. Martin cited at least three cases.

Reached by phone June 28, Warren Waltz of CLC said he had no comment on the issue.

Police Chief Jeff Lange said the uncertainties have created an atmosphere of discontent in the various departments, and the town should be focused on retention. Lange is leaving the department at the end of July.

Committee member Brad Sevaldson said selectmen need to look at more than the “dollar signs” when they make decisions like this. “This is one of the reasons why people come here,” he said. “People want a functioning local government, including police, fire, and ambulance service.”

Martin said that beyond the major public safety issues, there are other problems, including the current lack of a code enforcement officer. After recent water work on Water Street, Martin said, Stan Waltz discovered a senior housing facility did not have enough water pressure to run the sprinkler system. If it had happened a couple of weeks later, it might not have come to light immediately. “There are issues like that anytime a government doesn’t have the needed personnel,” Martin said.

Lange said losing the harbormaster just as the summer season was getting underway is a handicap to the town’s waterfront. It is unclear who will be taking charge of the harbor, although Lange did not believe it would remain under police control. “We will have issues with ghost moorings, and wormers and fishermen and recreational boaters without a harbormaster,” he said.

Committee members asked if they could be part of any police chief search committee. Lange said the search was scheduled to close just before his departure, but he felt it would be a good idea if at least one member of the committee could be part of the search process.

The committee meets next  on July 24.