Wednesday, June 13, 2001
|
Wednesday, June 13, 2001 |
|
Tie vote dooms added EMS slots Ambulance response times are slipping, EMS chief tells commissioners during budget hearing. By DAVE HAMRICK
In 2000, it took an average of eight minutes, 15 seconds for an ambulance to get to an emergency scene in Fayette County, compared to six minutes 50 seconds in 1999. But county commissioners Tuesday decided to hold off on budgeting additional emergency medical workers to address the problem, sticking by their recently imposed hiring moratorium. "I would be happy to take a look at this midyear," said commission Chairman Greg Dunn during the group's budget workshop Tuesday morning. "We have been very clear to all the department heads that there will be no increase," said Commissioner Linda Wells. Wells and Dunn voted down a motion by commissioners A.G. VanLandingham and Herb Frady to add $187,000 to the budget for five additional emergency medical workers for the Department of Fire and Emergency Services. With the board currently operating with only four commissioners due to the resignation of Harold Bost, a tie vote defeats a motion. Jack Krakeel, director of the department, argued that the board approved a three-year program to add 21 firefighter/medical workers to the department to improve response times, so in effect the proposal for this year is simply a continuation of that program, not a new request. Krakeel said the plan is to develop a "manpower squad," a centrally located unit of five people per shift who could respond in any direction in case the units closest to an emergency are already out on a call. The request also includes two additional firefighters each year to reduce fire response times, which increased from 5:19 in 1999 to 5:36 in 2000. Total cost for all seven would be $250,000. According to Krakeel, completion of the manpower squad could be paid for mostly through expected increases in the number of patients being transported, and through elimination of unscheduled overtime. "This puts us in an extremely difficult position," said Wells. "I can't do it today." Wells suggested other department heads would demand equal treatment, drawing a succinct response from VanLandingham. "For somebody to come up and say, 'Jack got his and I want mine' ... they can whistle Dixie," VanLandingham said. Commissioners approved the department's budget without the additional personnel. Among other departments' budgets approved were the Sheriff's Department ($10.1 million plus a capital expenditure of $37,975 for a van to transport court personnel), Public Works ($7.3 million plus $176,034 for capital expenditures) and the Water System ($11.97 million). The board plans to go over budgets for the remaining departments in an all-day session today.
|
||