Marion County Ambulance District gets new mobile command unit from Hannibal Police Department

HANNIBAL, Mo. — The Marion County Ambulance District will have access to a new mobile command unit after the Hannibal Police Department (HPD) was awarded one from the Missouri State Highway Patrol. 

The MCAD Board of Directors learned the police department had received the vehicle during last week’s meeting, at which they also heard an update on the audit and on grants as well as approved the purchase of a vehicle to be included in the 2025 budget.

The new unit will be utilized as a regional command center, with HPD, MCAD, NECOMM and Hannibal Fire Department all utilizing the vehicle. Chief John Nemes said the vehicle will be “an asset for our area.”

Nemes, Branson Wells and HPD Chief Jacob Nacke recently met to go over what will needed to be done to get the unit operational.

“We are hoping to have it ready for service by the Folklife Festival in Hannibal,” Nemes added, noting some work already is underway. “It’s going to be a pretty good asset.”

Although MCAD had originally discussed eliminating its current mobile medical unit, Nemes informed the board the district will be holding on to it to use as a second unit that won’t be shared with the other agencies.

The new unit will be parked close to the theatre, with the city already giving permission for it to be placed there, Nemes said.

Having reported last month the cost for this year’s audit was going to be more than the contracted amount, Nemes said the district had received a bill for $24,000.

“The contract was for $15,000, but they did put in quite a few manhours,” he said, adding the district can expect a contract for more than $15,000 next year but noted it was difficult to find a firm to do the audit this year. “We probably should stick with what we’ve got for a while.”

Nemes also reported that in addition to getting the reimbursement check from the ARPA grant, the district also received a grant from its insurance carrier, which was used for the Stryker cot arms.

“I am also currently working on another grant put out by the Department of Health and Human Services specifically for EMS,” he added. “This grant can be used for new purchases or purchases retroactive back to 2020.”

The grant, if approved, would have a 10 percent match from the district. It would be used to buy 28 new portable radios. Nemes had already gotten a quote for the radios, and with all accessories, the radios will be slightly more than the $100,000 grant for which he is applying.

In other business, the board approved the purchase of a 2025 Chevrolet Tahoe with the $52,773 price added to the 2025 district budget. By giving their approval now, Nemes said he can get the vehicle ordered for delivery probably in March or April.

The board also heard an update on the recent EMS World Expo attended by four MCAD employees.

“They attended several educational courses, including a cadaver lab, plus they toured the large exhibit of vendors to explore new and innovative equipment for future use at MCAD,” Nemes said.

The employees also toured display ambulances to gather information which will help when the district buys a new truck. Nemes noted he also already started the process, asking employees what they want on their “ideal” truck.

The board also reviewed calls for the district for September. MCAD answered 564 calls for emergency services. Base 1 (Hannibal) 2711 handled 143 calls. Base 1 2721 handled 154 calls. Base 2 (Hannibal) handled 161 calls. Base 3 (Palmyra) handled 79 calls. The district also worked 27 off-duty transfers.

The next MCAD board meeting was set for Oct. 17 at the Administration Building.