LifeGuard to continue service for 3 years
“Tickled to death” is how Flomaton's two representatives on the Escambia County Health Care Authority expressed their feelings following an agreement to keep seven day, 24 hour ambulance service in Flomaton.
The health care authority voted Monday to enter into a three-year agreement with LifeGuard to continue the service, which is stationed at the Flomaton Fire Station.
Chris Griffin, administrator at D.W. McMillan Memorial Hospital, said LifeGuard is currently working in Flomaton on a 90-day agreement which has been extended several times. The health care authority looked at multiple emergency medical service options, which at one time included a county-wide service by one provider.
In the vote Monday, the health care authority agreed to leave the current services in Atmore and Brewton the same with the D.W. McMillan Ambulance Service to continue to provide service to the Brewton area.
“I'm pleased we've reached a solution for the community,” Griffin said. “We achieved one of our primary goals, which was to provide ambulance service to Flomaton for at least the next three years.”
Griffin said the final agreement between LifeGuard and the health care authority will be in place by time the current 90-day agreement expires.
Discussions over ambulance service began more than a year ago when Florida Emergency Service announced it would no longer be the primary ambulance provider for the Flomaton area. Florida officials agreed to wait on making that change until a new provider could be found for the Flomaton community.
“I'm tickled to death we have this agreement for the next three years,” said Bo Brantley, who represents the Flomaton area on the health care authority. “It wasn't exactly what we wanted but we got what we wanted in Flomaton with the 24-7 service.”
Flomaton resident Ruth Harrell, who chairs the health care authority, also said she was tickled to death to reach an agreement for the Flomaton area.
“The health care authority did not take this lightly,” she said. “We started looking at a county-wide service but were unable to do so.”
She said when Florida EMS decided to pull out of Flomaton the primary goal was to provide ambulance service to the area.
“I live in Flomaton,” she said. “Having a full time ambulance here is very important. Our goal is to save lives and do the best to provide quality EMS services. We got what we wanted for Flomaton.”
Flomaton Mayor Dewey Bondurant said the agreement to have 24-7 ambulance service is great news for the people of Flomaton and the surrounding areas.
“It's really great for the town of Flomaton and the surrounding areas,” Bondurant said. “We've needed something like this for a long time. It will make the people of the Flomaton community feel safer knowing an ambulance is close by.”
Bondurant praised the work of Griffin, Harrell and Brantley in making the agreement become a reality.
“Chris Griffin, Ruth Harrell and Bo Brantley worked extremely hard to make this happen,” Bondurant said. “It was only through their hard work that we now have a full time ambulance in Flomaton.”
