Shouldn’t we all be thankful for all the good people and all the good things we have in this community? I, for one, am very appreciative of all the kind and concerned calls I’ve received of late regarding my tractor accident. And for the EMS service who came as quickly as they could, albeit it 20-25 minutes to my home. And almost 2 hours to get me to Richland Memorial, which was not the fault of the driver, who was following directions given by dispatch.
Dispatch, I guess, was not aware of all the road closings that took place the week of the storm and all the flooding, although anyone living in this state knew roads were closed.
The problem, I have found out recently, has many aspects.
First off there are 44 positions to be filled by qualified applicants in the EMS department and currently they only have 33 filled.
Secondly, when I say open positions, they should be filled by competent people.
Thirdly, in my opinion this is another statistical snafu of a county that has for too long gone on with a business as usual mentality, and has continued to fail the citizens on a daily basis.
Why is it that the communication between Fire, Police, EMS and Public Safety are not linked together? In simple terms, if your house is burning down and you call 911 only the fire department knows about it. Maybe the police will be notified, but for sure the EMS and ambulance will not know you may need a ride to the hospital.
In just about every other town they are linked somehow either with cell phones or some phone system. Yes, we could have that done here too, but apparently its millions of dollars.
There comes a time when being thankful for the small things is good enough. And I am.
But I sure would like to see for all this money in a county of 8,000 families and 23,000 + people at the very least the best communication system for any emergency that may arise.
I would like to see the police trained for emergency first aid, CPR and maybe a defibrillator in each car.
I would like to know that when I dial 911 that they know where I am located and can find me, come and help me. Within a reasonable time frame.
I’m not alone. I’m sure everyone reading this wants the same thing. Contact your local Council member and ask when this will happen.
Jeff Schaffer
Lake Monticello.
