Tuesday’s Hamilton County Board of Supervisors meeting was barely called to order when Rick Young played a mock 911 call.

“911, what’s your emergency?” the “dispatcher” asked.

The elderly “caller” explained that he wasn’t well, was having trouble breathing, and needed assistance.

The “dispatcher” assured him that help was on its way. Young said later that in Hamilton County help would be on the way.

He underscored that point because in November voters will be asked to approve a 30-cent property tax levy, the proceeds of which will fund equipment for the volunteer emergency medical responders upon whom the most rural areas of Hamilton County depend.

This request for funding comes from the county’s Emergency Medical System Advisory Council.

Let’s break it down into simple math:

— Say a property is valued at $200,000;

— The proposed levy is 30 cents per $1,000 valuation;

— That means the proposed EMS levy would add: $60 to the property tax bill;

— In this way, Hamilton County estimates the EMS levy would raise $356,037.

To put that sum in perspective, let’s take a look at the price tags on the equipment used in emergency medical responses. Here’s a list of needs and their estimated value:

— Communication equipment (800 MHz radios and pagers): $4,000;

— Patient handling equipment (cots and power lift): $60,000;

— Stair Chair: $5,000;

— Monitors (Zoll, Phillips, Other): $35,000;

— CPR devices (LUCAS) $24,000;

— EMT Tuition $2,000;

— EMT Continuing Education (20 hours/two years required): $25 per emergency medical technician per class;

— An ambulance: $250,000.

This levy, if it passes, would continue for 15 years.

It will be called Proposition A on the November 5 ballot.

Duane Hendrickson, chief of Jewel Fire and Rescue, leads Hamilton County’s EMSAC, an early county entrant into the greater state EMSAC that is a part of the Iowa Department of Public Health.

As he has repeatedly explained, the money raised by the levy would be for EMS services only.

“Fire is supported by taxes,” he said. “EMS is not.”

Young has said in the past: “If you call the fire department, they have to come.” EMS is strictly volunteer.

“There is a difference between fire and EMS. Fire call, they have to go out, they have to, they’re bound by law to go because they’re supported by the public. EMS systems, if you get a call they don’t have to go. The whole reason they go, they care about the people.”

Hendrickson has in the past explained that in most of Hamilton County’s small communities, where EMS service largely relies on good will and good-hearted people, there is little or no money to purchase advanced life-saving equipment needed in emergency situations.

One problem in the small towns is that calls are billed to people who use the service, and it is increasingly common that those bills are never paid.

An estimated 28% remain uncollected.

“More and more (people) move from the area and ignore the invoice,” Hendrickson has said.

Or, they are Medicare calls, which means only 60% of the invoiced charge is paid; in cases of Medicaid billing, only 10% of the invoice is paid.

If the initiative passes in the fall, the funds would be held by the Advisory Council and distributed as needed to agencies upon request.

Iowa law allows this kind of EMS levy to be as high as 75 cents per $1,000.

To pass in November, the initiative must get at least 60% of the vote.