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Kimball pulls plug on ambulanceBy
Emily Mullen
KIMBALL TWP. — The township's embattled ambulance service soon will be out of business. The township board voted 5-1 during a special meeting Thursday to discontinue emergency medical service. The move comes in the wake of a controversy that saw the service come under scrutiny by the St. Clair County Medical Control Board for failing to properly staff itself. Port Huron’s Tri-Hospital EMS, which has been backing up township ambulance crews, will continue to be dispatched with Kimball paramedics, Supervisor Laura Sturdevant said. Meanwhile, the townships will consider contracts from Tri-Hospital EMS and Richmond-Lenox EMS. It’s not clear if ambulance response times will be affected. The township’s service will end after a new service is contracted. No timetable has been set. The new service will cover the same area now protected by the township, including portions of Wales and St. Clair townships. Shutting down the ambulance service is the only way the township can improve service to residents and reduce liability issues, officials said. "This issue is not about money," Mrs. Sturdevant said. "We’re at a very high risk here – this is out last hope." She said the medical control board could take away the township’s ambulance license as early as next week if service doesn’t improve, which in turn would result in the township’s insurance being canceled. The medical control board ordered the township to investigate an April 12 incident in which a resident died after a township paramedic failed to respond to a 911 call. Three firefighters, who were not paramedics, responded to the call. Nearly 20 minutes after the initial 911 call, a paramedic from Tri-Hospital was called to the home. Meanwhile, a township firefighter tried to revive the 80-year-old victim by using an advanced defibrillation device that is only supposed to be used by a paramedic. The investigation into his death complete, by Mrs. Sturdevant would not release details, including the names of the firefighters who responded and the paramedic who failed to show up. She also would not say what disciplinary action was being taken against the missing paramedic or the firefighter who used the defibrillator. On Thursday, the board rejected a proposal from the fire department to hire 12 to 14 part-time paramedics at $10 an hour solely for ambulance duty. The department’s ambulance shifts are covered by volunteer firefighters trained as paramedics. The township is required by the county medical board to staff the ambulance service 24 hours a day. About 30 people attended the meeting, including members of the fire department. Resident Mary Antrobus agreed with the board’s decision. "The fire department said to make (the issue) a vote of the people – you people are our vote," she said. "We voted you in and we’re going to honor your vote." Ending the service in Kimball Township also means the township will not have to come up with wanting to pay for the service, which was losing money. The board was considering a fire department proposal to ask voters to approve a property tax increase to keep the service a float. Trustee Donna Gracey cast the lone vote in support of the ambulance service. She said a tax increase would have saved the township’s ambulances. "If people voted down the millage, we would still have the year to work on the (medics’) proposal with the fire department," she said. Trustee Ed Gilroy disagreed. "This is in the best interest of the township," he said. "We know the township can’t handle the service anymore, so we need to get rid of the liability.
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