County OKs new pickup for sheriff

Davison County Sheriff Dave Miles received approval from the Davison County Commission Tuesday to purchase an extended-cab Dodge pickup to replace an SUV destroyed several weeks earlier by an out-of-control semi on Interstate 90.

A plethora of weekend traffic mishaps had Miles wondering how long it would be before he would be back for a second car.

A 2004 Dodge Durango patrol cruiser was destroyed during icy conditions on I-90 Feb. 6. More bad weather hit this past weekend and Miles said Chief Deputy Steve Brink — the driver of the Durango on Feb. 6 — had another close call with a semi, as well as another near miss when a pickup flipped its trailerload of snowmobiles.

He said that during a 2½- hour period Saturday, there were15 rollover accidents between Plankinton and Alexandria.

“It’s getting to the point where it’s just dangerous for us to be out on the road,” he said.

While the amount of the insurance payment is still being determined, the insurance settlement for the destroyed Durango will pay for a large portion of a purchase of a $28,960 Dodge crew cab pickup, approved by the commissioners Tuesday.

The pickup, which was purchased from Iverson Chrysler Center in Mitchell, comes with a five-year, 100,000-mile warranty. Completely outfitting the vehicle for police use will take about two to three weeks, Brink said.

The pickup was not the lowest of three quotations — other quotations were considered from Palace Motors ($28,950) and Verne Eide Motors ($30,993) under an emergency resolution that allowed the sheriff to shorten the normal bidding process. The Dodge truck best suits the needs of his department, Miles said.

In an unrelated matter during Tuesday’s meeting, Commission Chairman David Weitala took note of a $1,000 ambulance bill the county received for transporting a prisoner to Avera Queen of Peace Hospital. Details regarding the specific patient were not discussed by commissioners.

There was concern among commissioners that the county, as a government entity, might have been charged a higher-than-normal rate for the transport service.

Mitchell Assistant Fire Chief Paul Morris said that while ambulance rates were adjusted twice in the past five years, the county is charged rates according to his department’s three-tier pricing schedule.

The tiers are:

• Basic Life Support ($550): This includes transportation for non-life-threatening injuries. If ambulance crews respond to a routine call and treat a person at the scene, and that person refuses to be transported to a hospital, the fee is $150.

The latter fee does not apply for auto accidents, said Morris.

“We respond to accidents at the request of police, so we do not charge people who are OK and who refuse to be taken to the hospital,” he said.

• Advanced Life Support ($1,000): This fee typically is charged when a person must be transported for a lifethreatening condition or injury.

“The difference is the level of care,” said Morris. “If we have to start an IV, use a cardiac monitor or administer medications, the base rate would be $1,000.”

The cost of medications and disposable goods are included in the flat rate.

There are occasional situations when an advance life support patient may not require hospitalization. In the case of a known diabetic, he said, crews may administer intravenous dextrose and wait until the patient becomes alert and oriented. In such a case, the non-transport fee is $300.

• Advance life support intercept ($300): Morris said this fee is charged when Mitchell ambulances take over at the request of an outlying ambulance service. In such a case, Mitchell crews rendezvous at an agreed-upon spot with the party requesting the service and take the patient the rest of the way to the hospital. The $300 fee is charged to the ambulance service, not the patient.

Additionally, Mitchell Fire and Rescue charges clients $12 per loaded mile.

“That fee is charged only if we’re transporting a patient,” Morris said.

Of Mitchell’s 21 regular firefighters, nine are certified as emergency medical technicians and 11 are EMT paramedics.

While fees may seem high to some, a survey of similar services, said Morris, “found that our rates are right in line.”

Tags: county commission, news, local, sheriff