Additional ambulance now available in Pearl River County

During Tuesday’s meeting of the Picayune City Council, the council was told of a revision to the contract with AAA Ambulance Service that came about when Forrest Health Systems took over the day to day operation of the Pearl River County Hospital in Poplarville.

WRJW file photo of Chief Brown

Picayune Fire Chief Keith Brown brought the request to the council and explained that the contract change was part of the new lease agreement between Forrest Health and the Pearl River County Board of Supervisors.

The new contract now calls for one additional ambulance in the county which now provides 5 trucks for 24 hours, 1 truck for 12 hours, and 1 Sprint. Brown said the new contract is for three years.

Brown said the new truck has already made a positive difference since being added. Brown said the new truck is assigned to the city and is primarily in that area 80 percent of the time.

When it came time to vote, Councilman Larry Breland brought up an issue that exists in regards to trains in downtown Picayune delaying the ambulances getting across the tracks. Breland is concerned that someday in a time critical situation, the trains are going to cause a problem for the first responders.

The council members all voted in favor of adopting the new contract.

Also during the meeting, the city council awarded the yearly lawn maintenace contract was awarded to Gulf Breeze Landscaping, LLC. in the amount of $94,683.00.

The council recessed their meeting until April 21, 2020 at 5:00 p.m.