The financial report for the fiscal year that ended June 30, was briefly reviewed at the latest Idyllwild Fire Protection District commission meeting.
Based on preliminary reports that Fire Chief Patrick Reitz said the audit team is still reviewing, total revenues were nearly $1.95 million and total expenditures were less than $1.91 million, for a net income of nearly $36,000.
The expenditures included the $89,000 cost for the two new ambulances purchased in February.
Revenues were almost $100,000 more than projected. While some revenue items were below projections, the income from IFPD’s medical billings exceeded its July 2014 estimate of $342,000 by slightly more than $130,000, or 38 percent.
“This is the result of strictly the number of calls and a better payer mix,” Reitz said.
IFPD has significantly increased the number of patient transports to local hospitals. From January through June 2014, total medical responses were 214 (126 were transports). For the same six-month period in 2015, the number of medical responses increased 70 percent to 366 responses (205 were transports).
Of the total transports in 2015, 33 originated in the Pine Cove and Zone 3 areas, for which IFPD is no longer the primary ambulance service since its contract with Riverside County expired on June 30.
The legal fees for the year were almost $100,000, twice the spring estimate. Reitz expressed disappointment that the Riverside County grand jury investigations from last fall and winter contributed to these costs. He felt that the grand jury should have issued a report exonerating IFPD.
“As of its June 30 deadline, there’s no report on IFPD,” Reitz informed the commission. “We expended enormous time and money — about $14,000 — to prepare and to defend ourselves in front of the grand jury yet they didn’t issue any report.
“I’m happy there was no report about IFPD, but I’m frustrated there was no report stating these complaints were unfounded or false allegations,” he added.
The head of Volunteer Company 621, Paul Riggi, announced that the recent recruitment effort has been successful. Five new candidates are being reviewed. Two are emergency medical technicians.