Ambulance and fire reports for May 27

By Charlene Sims, info@linncountyjournal.com

MOUND CITY – The Linn County Commissioners received reports from the ambulance and fire department services on Tuesday, May 27.

Fire Chief Randy Hegwald reported that there were eight calls for the past week which brings the yearly total up to 291 calls. 

Hegwald told the commissioners that he had sent out the 2026 budget that had a 0.6% increase. He said that he had included a budget summary and pointed out that part of the increase was insurance for the fire department, which had been going up about $2,000 every year. So part of the $3,500 increase was for insurance. He said that pretty much everything else stayed the same from last year.

He reported to the commissioners that he had sent out a current equipment list of the trucks that the fire department has and which stations the equipment is located at.

Hegwald said that he did send out the surplus equipment list with pictures of the tanks and the vehicles. He said the only information that he got back was that Pleasanton was interested in some of the plastic tanks and one of the SUVs.

Hegwald received permission to hire Landon Schneider as a probationary firefighter for the Mound City fire station pending pre-employment physical and drug screening.. He said that would bring the total firefighters at Mound City to 11 out of 15 spots.

The commissioners also approved the hiring of Bernard Garrett as a probationary firefighter for the Prescott fire station pending pre-employment physical and drug screening. Hegwald told them that would bring the total firefighters at Prescott to seven out of 15 spots.

Commissioner Alison Hamilton brought up the workshop about automatic aide agreements on June 2 with the fire chiefs of Linn Valley, La Cygne, and Pleasanton and Hegwald. It will be held after the business meeting. The public is welcome to attend but the meeting will not be live streamed.

American Medical Response (AMR) Operations Manager Dawn Brooks was not at the meeting so the commissioners read her report.

The report showed the month to date ambulance reports from May 1 through May 26. There have been a total of 117 calls resulting in 57 transports. The average response time is 16 minutes 50 seconds. The calls by city were:

• Blue Mound, 2 calls, 1 transport

• Centerville, 3 calls, 2 transports

• Fulton, 0 calls, 0 transports

• Greeley, 0 calls, 0 transports

• La Cygne, 30 calls, 14 transports 

• Fontana, 0 calls, 0 transports

• Lane, 0 calls, 0 transports

` • Linn Valley, 13 calls, 7 transports

• Rich Hill, 0 calls, 0 transports

• Mound City, 28 calls, 12 transports

• Parker, 22 calls, 9 transports

• Pleasanton 18 calls, 12 transports

• Prescott, 1 call, 0 transports

Response numbers and times for this time period by Commission Districts are:

District 1 - 43 responses, 21 transports, 15 minutes 57 seconds average response time

District 2 – 26 responses, 14 transports, 13 minutes 29 seconds average response time District 3 – 48 responses, 22 transports, 19 minutes 26 seconds average response time