By MIKE CORN

mcorn@dailynews.net

WaKEENEY -- With a volunteer committee of seven, the Trego County ambulance service is purring along.

Now, the Trego County Commission must decide what approach the service will take in the future.

Ellis County Emergency Medical Service Director Kerry McCue met with commissioners Monday to discuss a series of possibilities, ranging from an all-volunteer service, much like it has now, to an all-paid service.

A fourth proposal, that of contracting with Ellis County, also was put forward but not well received by commissioners.

McCue has been acting as something of an adviser to commissioners, called in when it was determined the ambulance service had run afoul of state regulations governing ambulance services.

A series of quality assurance reports had not been completed, and the county was given a short period of time to get the reports completed.

Soon after being told of the problems, commissioners put together a volunteer committee to help shepherd the reports through.

That was done, and the county now is in compliance with state regulations.

McCue continues as an adviser, and commissioners were contacted Monday by a member of the Kansas Board of Emergency Medical Services board, following up on a letter McCue and commissioners received. That letter sought authorization from the county for the board to provide information to McCue.

In a telephone call, board member John Miller said the letter makes McCue a designated representative of Trego County as far as the state board is concerned.

That way, if McCue calls for information about the service, they will be free to respond.

In the meantime, the committee is sharing responsibilities running the ambulance service, logging calls and submitting bills to insurance providers.

"And its running very well, I tell you," Commissioner Kendall Ottley said.

Commissioners are looking for an ambulance director to bring the service together.

First, they must decide what form it will take.

McCue presented ballpark financial figures for an all-volunteer service, a blend of paid and volunteer services and a fully-paid service.

Commissioner Herb Schwartzkopf also asked McCue to provide a rough estimate of what it might cost if Ellis County would take over the service.

That cost would be considerably higher than what it costs now, and the commissioners didn't relish that idea or the ramifications of another county taking over the service.

"There's some political potholes here," McCue said at the outset of the contracted service.

"I don't think it's in our best interest," Commissioner Dean Papes said of the idea.

Commissioners didn't make a decision on the route to take.