By a single vote, members of the Ashaway Fire District defeated a resolution that would have authorized the district to allocate $50,000 from its general fund for the Ashaway Ambulance Association. The vote at Thursday’s annual meeting was 13 to 12.
The money would have been used to hire second and third shift personnel, which would have allowed the ambulance corps to offer evening and nightime service, which it cannot currently provide.
The fire district and the ambulance association are separate entities, and the proposed allocation would have been a precedent. Fire Commissioner Mike Williams said the priority for both entities, howerver, was saving lives.
“The fire district feels that it’s somewhat our responsibility to take care of the taxpayers, the people who live in our district,” he said.
But Williams’ argument wasn’t enough to persuade a majority of members to support the resolution, and some said they worried that the district would end up having to fund the association every year.