The Tri-town Ambulance Service is requesting a 41 per cent increase for its operating budget next year due to a new state mandate that requires full-time paramedics for the service.

The budget, now pegged at $641,735, up from $453,000 last year, allows for two new full-time positions. It has been trimmed from an earlier draft that called for a 60 per cent increase.

If all three towns approve, the total cost of the service will go up $188,000 and each town assessment will go from $104,268 to $160,278, a 53 per cent increase.

Aquinnah police chief and tri-town committee chairman Randhi Belain presented the budget to the Chilmark selectmen and finance committee two weeks ago, and will present it to Aquinnah and West Tisbury next week.

“If we get these positions it will definitely insure when a call comes in that it’s going to be staffed and the ambulance is going out the door,” Mr. Belain said this week. “Right now we’re working off a volunteer system . . . what happens is you’re at their whim hoping they’re going to fill the shift. Most of time it works out — in this economy we’re in people are looking for work, but they’re not bound to do it by any means,” the chief said, adding:

“I’m hoping for accountability as well. Right now the shifts are being filled. It’s gotten better, but we definitely need to insure that we have people on duty, an ambulance going to roll.”

The service came under scrutiny in the fall after voters were asked to approve additional funds to cover a budget shortfall.

When the West Tisbury finance committee voted not to approve the original budget in January, Mr. Belain said the committee went back to the drawing board and decided to cut four new positions to two — for now.

“Maybe at some point down the road we can try to include those again,” he said. “We decided to try with these two positions and see how it works out. Part of it was with a new chief coming in and whatnot, we decided to feel it out for this year. It’s to save money too,” he added.

The two new positions will be advertised and filled when the budget is approved.

The ambulance service will hire one full-time emergency medical technician (EMT) at 40 hours a week for $43,532 and a second full-time EMT at 30 hours a week for $31,899. The budget includes $6,000 for basic EMT coverage for time off.

Other personnel increases include additional night shift EMTs, accounting for a $21,000 increase in stipends. The six EMTs will be paid $12,000 a year, totaling $73,000.

“In a perfect world, two people are on the ambulance per night; that hasn’t happened in a long time, maybe it won’t ever happen,” Mr. Belain said. In summer, each ambulance has one EMT and one basic EMT on duty during the day from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., he said.

As a result of the two new full-time positions, the service was able to eliminate two seasonal daytime EMTs, trimming $15,912 from the budget.

Other expenditures include vehicle maintenance, office supplies, gasoline, uniforms, in-state travel, medical supplies, and the billing service Comstar’s service charge.

Meanwhile, the search for a new ambulance chief continues. The Chilmark selectmen appointed Paul (Zeke) Wilkins as interim acting chief last month; the ambulance committee is receiving applications until March 11. Mr. Wilkins has been a tri-town EMT for a number of years and replaces former chief Robert Bellinger, who resigned on Feb. 9.