BY MATTHEW STONE

Staff Writer

The future of Wayne's two-member, first-responder emergency service could be in jeopardy.

A Maine Emergency Medical Services board is slated to decide on July 16 whether Wayne Rescue can continue operating as a first responder to medical emergencies in town.

Uncertainty about the service's future follows the late submission of a license renewal application and other paperwork to the state board, Wayne Rescue Chief Emily Roberts said. The board has temporarily suspended the service's license pending the July 16 review.

"There's some uncertainties right at the moment," Roberts said.

Roberts and her husband, William, are the only members of the volunteer rescue service.

The town has typically relied on Winthrop Ambulance Service to provide emergency transport for patients. Wayne Rescue has responded first to medical emergencies in town to administer basic treatments while awaiting an ambulance.

During the service's suspension, Roberts said, she and her husband have continued to respond to medical emergencies in Wayne. They simply respond under the license of Winthrop Ambulance Services, where they are both employed.

"If it is in our town, we're able to respond to it as Winthrop," Roberts said of an emergency situation. "Our community is not in jeopardy of losing care."

Wayne Rescue's uncertain future, Roberts said, is not related to the quality of care the service has provided. It is simply a matter of late paperwork.

"It's not that the right care wasn't being given," she said.

Wayne Rescue's undetermined future, Town Manager Pam Grimshaw said, typifies the difficulties of operating a small town, volunteer rescue service, especially when the service is dependent on a small number of people.

"It's unfortunate that the future of the service is in jeopardy," Grimshaw said.

Residents at their annual town meeting June 11 approved a $1,000 stipend for the service's director and a $2,000 budget for the service.

Wayne Rescue's state of uncertainty today is not new to the service. In 2002, the service was down to one member from a peak of eight. That member, Jim Turner, recommended disbanding the body. Selectmen that year reduced the service's budget and pledged to boost efforts to recruit additional members.

Roberts said the size and nature of the Wayne community complicate recruiting efforts.

"It's a small community, a lot of summer people," she said. "We don't have the interest in town here for people to get involved."

If on July 16 state EMS board members decide against renewing Wayne Rescue's license, Roberts said, Wayne residents likely would not notice a difference. Roberts and her husband, after all, would continue responding to emergencies as Winthrop Ambulance employees.

Matthew Stone -- 623-3811, Ext. 435

mstone@centralmaine.com