If you have ever dialed 911, like I have on at least two occasions, it seems like an eternity before an ambulance arrives because seconds become minutes in your mind. So, I understand the concerns people have as the Escambia County Health Care Authority wrestles with its decision on which direction to take in reference to ambulance service.
This issue first became an issue when Escambia County (Fla.), which has an ambulance stationed in Century, said it was going to end its contract to serve Flomaton and the surrounding areas. To Escambia County, Florida's credit they vowed not to leave the Flomaton area stranded without ambulance service – there was no line drawn in the sand saying they would quit responding across the state line as X date.
So, the health care authority began looking at what it could do to keep 24-7 ambulance service available to the Flomaton area residents. As you can immagine, that's a complicated process that also involves a lot of money.
To the health care authority's credit, it reached out and formed a committee that included several Flomaton residents to come up with a solution. The committee had no power other than to make recommendations back to the health care authority.
The first objective was to deal with the Flomaton area, but the health care authority decided that while looking at that issue, it might at well look at the entire picture to see if there was a better and less expensive way to provide quality ambulance service throughout the county.
Goal No. 1 was to deal with Flomaton. Although no documents had been signed by the time I went to press Wednesday afternoon, it appears the committee and the health care authority has decided on entering into a 90-day agreement with Lifeguard to provide ambulance service to Flomaton by having an ambulance stationed here 12 hours a day. Lifeguard apparently presented a plan to include ambulance service to the Brewton area, which is now covered by the D.W. McMillan Memorial Hospital ambulance service.
I think that's when things got sticky and more people got concerned.
I do question why the group showed up Monday morning to the Escambia County Commission to voice their concerns when the commission has no authority over the issue. The only role the commission has in this issue is appointing board members to the health care authority.
That being said, I have faith in the health care authority and in Chris Griffin, administrator of D.W. McMillan Memorial Hospital, to come up with the best possible plan that will provide the best service for a price that can be afforded.
Will there be changes? Sure. We know something's going to change in Flomaton because we are about to lose our ambulance service.
Is Lifeguard the best solution? I don't know because I didn't hear their proposal. It must have registered pretty well with the committee and the health care authority to get to this point.
It would be great to have 50 ambulances stationed all across the county to respond in a second's notice as much as it would be nice to have about 100 sheriff's deputies patrolling the roads and ready to respond in a second's notice. Something stands in the way of that – money.
One thing lost in the discussion, but was included on the front page of the health care authority's request for proposals, was the fact that in many, if not most instances, the first responder to a 911 medical call will not be an ambulance, but a firefighter, police officer or sheriff's deputy.
And in most cases these people either have emergency medical training or enough training to save someone's life. I've watched in Flomaton as firemen, police officers and town workers saved lives. Those are the true first responders. The two times I've dialed 911 on a medical issue it was a firefighter who came through the door first.
Give the health care authority time, and I'm convinced that board will make the best decision for all of us.
