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LifeTech shuts doors BY JERRIE WHITELEY HERALD DEMOCRAT With a little more than two years left on its contract to provide ambulance services in Grayson County, LifeTech EMS shut its doors Wednesday morning. The closure left people in the Van Alstyne and Whitesboro areas without ambulance service and Grayson County once again facing an ambulance service crisis. It also left more than 50 employees in the Grayson County and north Collin County area without jobs. Grayson County Purchasing Agent Jeff Schneider said the city of Sherman had already agreed to have its ambulance crews cover the areas served by LifeTech on a very short-term basis when Bells-Savoy Ambulance Service stepped up to the plate with a longer range, though still temporary, plan. Under the plan a task force approved Wednesday morning, Bells-Savoy Ambulance Service will provide an ambulance for the Van Alstyne azea and another one for the Whitesboro Area. Bells-Savoy will provide the rigs and 24-hour attendants for both towns for $22,000 a month. The county, Schneider said, will pay the $22,000 and then collect reimbursements from area communities based on the percentage of LifeTech's contract they were paying. Jackie Miller, pazamedic and supervisor with Bells-Savoy Ambulance Services, said the business just happened to be in the position to help. "We had just recently added a second ambulance to run Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and we had another one that could be ready in a day or so," Miller said. She said the contract Bells-Savoy has with Grayson County to cover the east part of the county required only one ambulance so the other two were available to fill LifeTech's void. Miller said some of the peopie who worked for LifeTech also worked part-time for Bells-Savoy, so it made sense for them to stay on and help with the ambulances in Van Alstyne and Whitesboro. "I have just been so impressed with the way everyone just started working together to get this problem solved, at least on a temporary basis," Schneider said. He said local leaders started trying to find a solution as soon as word spread that LifeTech's crews were not paid this week. Schneider said the county received a letter saying LifeTech would pull out of its contract April 19. He said the peopie who had been working for LifeTech even agreed to work without pay to keep the ambulances running, but insurance concems forced the company to close. "LifeTech lost its insurance coverage and they were going to be charged $1,000 a day for running the ambulances without insurance," Schneider said. He said the decision to close meant