Com-Care Inc., Logan County’s ambulance provider, is utilizing the Auburn fire department’s substation at the end of town to park a on-call ambulance 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Com-Care director Jim Duke said he has so many of his employees for Logan’s service that live in or around the Auburn area to merit the placement.

“About 30 percent of our employees live in the Auburn area and can answer a call if needed in that part of the county at anytime,” said Duke.

Com-Care employs 35 and provides six ambulances in Logan County. Four of those newer, low mileage vehicles and two are older models handed back to the county by Commonwealth Health Corporation (CHC) upon their withdrawal the first of this year.

Duke said it is Com-Care’s goal and the county’s to eventually replace the two older ambulances in the fleet.

Duke said Com-Care pays rent on the Auburn substation as well as the utilities from the Auburn Rural Fire Department. At any given time there are one to two ambulances in Auburn and four in Russellville. Duke said he hasn’t heard much from Adairville or Lewisburg about putting an ambulance in either of those areas of the county.

“Things have gone very well since the changeover in the spring. The community has been very good to work with as well as the Fiscal Court. The employees have done a great job and have taken ownership of this service which is something I wished for coming into Logan County. This is a locally operated service,” said Duke.

Fifth District Magistrate Jo orange is very happy to see an ambulance in Auburn.

“When CHC decided to leave us we wanted to continue to provide the citizens of Logan County the best service and nothing less than what they had,” said Orange who was instrumental in getting the ambulance in Auburn.

Orange had offered to pay the rent out of her own pocket at one point when she thought her fellow magistrates would balk at the idea.

“We had an ambulance in Auburn when CHC was serving the county. Auburn is one of the most highly populated areas of the county and it would have been foolish not to continue to utilize the substation. I want to thank the Auburn Rural Fire Department for offering a low lease and Come-Care for taking that opportunity,” said Orange.

Com-Care Inc. took over as Logan’s ambulance service operator after CHC gave notification in 2008 that they were pulling out of the county citing lack of support from the fiscal court. CHC had provided ambulance service in Logan County for 11 years. The corporation currently provides service for Warren County.