Midway Fire District receives grant for ambulance
BY PAM BRANNON Gulf Breeze News news@gulfbreezenews.com

Midway Fire District was approved for a grant for a new ambulance. But in order to get the $112,750 grant the district has to get permission from the county to be at least a back-up for the county's ambulance service.

Midway Fire Chief Stephen Demeter sent a letter last week to Santa Rosa County Commission and Administrator Hunter Walker asking to be on the county commission's next agenda.

The letter explains that the grant from the Bureau of EMS requires a match of $37,500 from Midway, which they are prepared to pay. That would allow Midway to get the Rescue ambulance.

This grant was applied for during the period of bidding for the county's ambulance service contract by Midway and several other services. There was a deadline to the grant application that ended before the county contract was awarded, so the Midway Fire Commissioners decided to apply in case they would need or could use the ambulance if they won the grant.

The only stipulation to the grant is that Midway must show a COPCN certificate from the county, allowing them to be a back up ambulance to the county service.

The letter from the fire chief said, "We are very flexible as to any language in the rule the County might want to stipulate as to when Midway could or could not initiate transport. We would be viewed as an alternative to using the outside agencies for mutual aid within our district when no Lifeguard Ambulance would be available."