Upgrade plan for firefighters could speed response time
By Queenie Wong
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With only about 16 active volunteers on the Lexington Rescue Squad, it can take up to 15 minutes to respond to a local emergency.
But an upgraded Emergency Medical Services license, which is now in the works, would authorize 15 qualified volunteers with the Lexington Fire Department to use an additional ambulance.
That would help response time, said David Wheeler, head of the fire department’s EMS program. The fire department could assist the rescue squad when multiple calls are coming in, added Carter Murray, one of the rescue squad’s crew leaders.
“Now we [will] have the ability to complement each other and provide a much more through service,” Murray said.
The license upgrade, which would change the fire department’s status from “non-transport” to “transport” Advanced Life Support, must be granted by the state Office of EMS.
Michael Berg, manager for regulation and compliance at the state EMS office, said Lexington’s fire department needs to meet three requirements: endorsement from the operational medical director at the state EMS agency, approval by city council, and an inspection by a state EMS representative.
The department proposed the idea to City Council Oct. 4.
At the meeting, Council Member Jim Gianniny said he was excited about the cooperation between the two groups and praised them for their volunteer work.
But City Manager T. Jon Ellestad said he needed to meet with the fire chief and rescue captain before council approved the request. The meeting has been tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, but Ellestad said that the fire chief has not returned his calls.
Despite recent controversy over overspending at the rescue squad, Ellestad said his hesitation did not have anything to do with that issue.
In 2007, the rescue squad’s expenses were $270,529.49. An audit is currently being done by David Hawkins, the squad’s auditor. No report has been released.
Ellestad said he wanted to understand all the ramifications before council approved the request.
Supporters say the upgrade would not cost anything because no new training would be needed.
The fire department and the rescue squad shared a building until 1986. An upgraded EMS license would be a step toward recovering that consolidated system.
The fire chief and the rescue captain did not return phone calls from The Rockbridge Report.
Virginia Emergency Medical Services
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