Council waiting for info on possible EMS switch BY DAVE BENJAMIN Staff Writer JACKSON - The future of emergency medical services (EMS) in the township remained a topic of discussion at the Oct. 23 meeting of the Township Council. Councilwoman Emily Ingram said more facts and information are needed in order for officials to make a decision regarding the provision of emergency medical services. "Currently, Jackson's emergency medical services are provided by an outside company called MONOC (professional paramedics) from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. and the Jackson First Aid Squad from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m.," Ingram said. She said there have been concerns raised regarding poor response time on the part of the emergency medical services providers. "In an effort to resolve these problems the mayor began looking into the possibility of having a community service officer," Ingram said. "That means there is the possibility of expanding a branch of the police department to provide emergency medical technicians to provide basic life support services and maintaining an outside company that will continue to provide the advanced life support services." In order to have the best possible solution it would be incumbent upon Mayor Mark Seda to do research on the topic, the councilwoman said. "The mayor explained that in government as opposed to corporate America, one does not merely go out and get an estimate," Ingram said. "In government we would have to put together specifics and go out and get an RFP, a request for proposal, to obtain information from outside companies. Getting these RFPs is the information gathering process and not the time to make concrete decisions." The councilwoman said this would be the information that would be used to do the analytical research in determining what option is best for the health and safety for the residents of Jackson. "I suggest the mayor find out where the problem is occurring, [ask if] the delay an isolated incident, what can be done to correct the problem without the proposed change and if it is changed, what are the specifics, the positives and negatives that will affect the health and welfare of the residents and are they long-term or shortterm," Ingram said. She said changes cannot be made in haste. "My support or lack of support will only come after a complete understanding of the process [that will] effect the changes," Ingram said. Councilman Scott Martin said, "It is important that the public exercise patience as we work our way through the process." The council members voted 4-0 on a resolution authorizing the solicitation of proposals for emergency medical services. Councilman Jason Gudaitis was not present at the meeting During the public portion of the meeting resident Ruth Krisman said MONOC's provision of basic life support services works pretty well during the day. "It's not broken," Krisman said. "Why are we trying to fix that? We should be concentrating on the evening hours. What makes you think we are going to run an efficient emergency medical services system without raising our taxes and doing a better job than what we already have?" Seda said he went to two adult communities to get feedback on this issue. "I made it clear that I would get information back to those communities," Seda said. "We don't know if the EMS program is the way to go. Based on the information I had received, it may be an option to solve the problem. You say that MONOC doesn't have a problem and [the] first aid [squad] has a problem. Well, if you run the numbers against Jackson First Aid, they aren't too far off. "MONOC ran about 690 calls and roughly 200-plus calls were above 15 minutes response time. If you run Jackson first aid they ran about the same number of calls and just about 200 of them were above 15 minutes … There is a problem and it was brought to my attention," the mayor said, adding that he is not certain yet how to address the problem. "In order for me to deal with this I have to go with both programs," Seda said. "We have the RFPs we put out tonight which will allow us to receive bids. That will give me the second half of the equation." Seda said a forum will be held and everyone will have a chance to speak on the issue. "Then we will come to a decision, between myself and the council, on which way to move forward," he said. "Not only to be the most cost-effective, but to ensure that our response times are more responsible than they are right now." Resident Dennis Lafer thanked the council members for their active involvement in the EMS issue. He said this is the first time the issues have had a full airing and were objectively reviewed. Council President Ann Updegrave said Seda wants to do what is best for residents. "We don't want to force anything down your throats," she said. "That's a breath of fresh air," Lafer responded. "What created the disturbance was the declaration by the mayor that he was getting rid of the day program (MONOC) before any data was produced. Tonight it showed that the mayor must have data and I hope that data is shared with us so we can review that information." Frank Fatovic of the Jackson Fire Department questioned the emergency response times and said he listens to MONOC and to the Jackson First Aid Squad. "We have two ambulances on during the day from MONOC and there have been multiple times when there have been three, four, five calls at a time and the same thing at night with the volunteers. I don't think it's adequate to have only two ambulances during the day," Fatovic said. Jackson First Aid Squad First Lt. Gary Nokes said it appears that bashing the first aid squad has become quite trendy. "We as a first aid squad are under fire. I really take offense to some of the comments that have been made, but these are some of the observations I have made," he told the council. Nokes said the volunteer first aid squad responds to two types of calls. "We have life threatening calls and we have non-emergency calls such as assists and carbon monoxide alarms. I think there is a lack of education with some of the newer residents," he said. Nokes said there have been some discrepancies with the 911 call system that are being addressed. "Residents should know that when they dial 911 the call doesn't go to the town. It goes to the county sheriffs office," he said. Nokes said the first aid squad is alive and well with new members joining all the time and an excellent cadet program for young people. "A lot of the things people are reacting to is hearsay," he said. "We don't have the data that we really need to substantiate some of these claims." Nokes said the first aid squad members do not hear complaints. Instead, he told the council, they read the complaints in the newspapers and said that is a sad state of affairs. "We give 150 percent. From time to time, cases will occur. Are they the norm or are they the exception? There is a silent majority in the community that supports the volunteer first aid squad," Nokes said. "From 6 p.m. to 5 a.m. you won't see a bill (for services). As long as I am an official of the squad I vow that you will not see a bill from Jackson first aid. It's a free service and a professional service We are working hard and I'm disappointed in the squad bashing." After the meeting Ingram said she will not support a change in Jackson's emergency response system unless she has a chance to review information to show that research was done or that there was a sufficient amount of research. "My concern is the welfare of the residents," she said. Updegrave said, "We're going to vote for what is best for the town. Right now told [the mayor] after a meeting with the people from the adult communities that would not change anything, I would beef up what we have." Updegrave said she would wait for the RFPs to come in and see if anybody would submit a bid that is better than what has been offered. "It all depends upon what comes out in that forum that he [the mayor] has that he is inviting everybody to and the date has not been determined," Updegrave said. "I'm sure it's coming up pretty soon within a month's time."