Shakeups continue at the Wilton Ambulance, as at least five employees have submitted their notice, and the assistant chief has announced her intent to step down from her post, all before a new administrative head has even had her first day on the job.

Sherry Miller is the choice to head up the department moving forward, Town Administrator Paul Branscombe said Monday. Earlier this month, the Select Board notified current ambulance chief Steve Desrosiers that the town would be eliminating the position of ambulance chief – the only full-time job at the ambulance – and restructuring how the department is run. Instead of an ambulance chief, moving forward, the department is expected to be headed by an administrator.

Miller recently resigned her job as the Dublin Town Administrator, a position she’s held for the past nine years. She also has emergency management experience, currently serving as Deputy Chief of Antrim Ambulance.

While Miller is expected to step into her new role at the close of the month, numerous ambulance employees have submitted their resignations.

Wilton Ambulance Assistant Chief Karen Artemik said Thursday she will remain with the ambulance as an employee but has submitted her notice stepping down from her administrative duties.

“I will be staying on. I’m here for the people, that’s why,” Artemik said, of her decision to stay on at the ambulance despite resigning as assistant chief.

In a letter addressed to the Select Board, passed out at Wilton’s Town Meeting, ambulance members expressed frustration about a lack of communication between the town and the department. As of March 12, according to the letter, the Select Board had not communicated with the department about the removal of Desrosiers as the administrative head of the department or the reason for it.

The ambulance members who wrote the letter referenced the heightened public health concerns related to COVID-19, and concerns around staffing the ambulance and keeping stability in the department.

“We, the working members of this department have many questions with no answers,” the letter reads. “How are we supposed to prepare for one of the [worst] public health crisis to hit our country in many years?…It is us, the people who directly care for the communities we serve that have been done a huge injustice.”

“It does impact our shift coverage,” Artemik said. “The biggest impact is what is going to happen when you eliminate the only full-time paramedic we have.”

The letter references as many as 11 employee resignations, but both Branscombe and Artemik said the number who have officially done as of Monday is five. Among them is at least one paramedic, one basic EMT and a trainer.

Branscombe said filling those positions is already in process, and the town will prioritize paramedic hires particularly.

Employees may not be the only ones leaving the department, however. During its Town Meeting Saturday, the town of Temple, one of the four partner towns that make up Wilton ambulance, made a telling amendment to its ambulance budget, specifically amending it to provide enough funds to cover costs of receiving ambulance services from Peterborough, but not enough to cover the costs for Wilton’s services.

Though Select Board members would not confirm on Saturday that this was the official end to their partnership in Wilton, which has been on the rocks over the funding formula for the coming year, Selectman Ken Caisse said the next step for Temple in light of the Town Meeting vote was to contact its counsel.

While staffing and scheduling was one of the main issues brought up in the letter to the Select Board, particularly once Desrosiers, one of the department’s paramedics, is no longer a salaried employee able to cover shifts as needed, Branscombe said there is enough staff to cover the community’s needs.

“We have enough staff to cover what we’re doing. All ambulances are getting out, patient care is being met. We’re confident moving forward,” Branscombe said.

Branscombe said whether or not Artemik’s position as assistant chief is filled, changed, or another administrative system is put into place is a discussion the town will have once Miller is officially on board.

 “We’ll see what she wants for command staff,” Branscombe said.

 

 

 

Ashley Saari can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.