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Calaveras County and the Ambulance Issue.

In an article in the Calaveras Enterprise,

Ambulance services reduced Calaveras County ambulance services are getting a downgrade due to decreasing revenues and calls for service.

The following comment was made.

"Supervisor Bill Claudino said American Legion is $100,000 in the red and has had a drop in calls of about 20 to 30 percent in the last few months."

The following is the amount of calls and response times.

Calaveras County

South Zone

Copperopolis, Angels Camp and Murphys.

90%ile Response Times

December 2006 Through November 2007

Contractual Requirement 20 minutes

Calls	69	48	57	56	59	79	66	69	77	48	58	62	Calls
Month	12-06	1-07	2-07	3-07	4-07	5-07	6-07	7-07	8-07	9-07	10-07	11-07	Month
Time	20	19	19	23	21	21	24	20	20	19	20	20	Time

Calaveras County

East Zone

Ebbetts Pass Fire Protection District

90%ile Response Times

December 2006 Through November 2007

Contractual Requirement 13 minutes

Calls	52	49	40	33	36	47	62	59	58	48	50	40	Calls
Month	12-06	1-07	2-07	3-07	4-07	5-07	6-07	7-07	8-07	9-07	10-07	11-07	Month
Time	11	13	11	8	10	8	9	11	10	10	9	8	Time

Calaveras County

North Zone

San Andreas, Valley Springs, Mokelumne Hill, Mountain Ranch and West Point

90%ile Response Times

December 2006 Through November 2007

Contractual Requirement 20 minutes

Calls

107

121

124

102

114

120

125

129

118

111

126

Calls

Month

12-06

1-07

2-07

3-07

4-07

5-07

6-07

7-07

8-07

9-07

10-07

11-07

Month

Time

This may have some merit but those figures should be checked with previous years so a comparative analysis can be made.

Numbers and statistics are fun to play with. In the right hands a person can come to all kind of wrong conclusions.

And this statement was interesting.

“This is just strictly a business decision,” Claudino said.

Was it strictly a business decision in 2004 when two well established businesses were run out of business so an exclusive contract could be given to American Legion Ambulance?

Or was this comment correct. (Ambulance company wins board's vote )

"Yesterday's selection capped a controversial three-year study by the agency, Calaveras County residents and county officials. Narrowing the field of emergency ambulance providers is supposed to create more efficient, better service."

The following comment is correct but the question is how long does the county wait?

"American Legion was contracted about two years ago to provide ambulance services. The contract is performance based, so if response times drop the county can step in."

It is time to reevaluate the decision made a few years ago by Mountain-Valley EMS and the Calaveras County Board of Supervisors.

A solution to this potential dangerous condition exists and must be pursued vigorously. This is not the time to wait for a meeting that will result in forming a committee that will assign a task force to look into the problem and make a report that everybody can discuss for months on end.

The deterioration in service is evident in the fact that cuts have been made and more cuts are wanted by American Legion Ambulance.

As more information comes in we will post such so the public can see for themselves what the numbers show.

To follow this ongoing drama, this potential catastrophe, you might want to read the following.

***HOT ISSUE ***

Ambulance/Fire Department

American Ambulance and Calaveras County.

Ambulance services reduced

If you are in the mood for reading and want to get up to speed on how this all came to be. Try this.

http://www.calaverasenterprise.com/shared-content/search/index.php?search=go&o=0&q=American+Ambulance&d1=01-07-2004&d2=01-21-2008&s=relevance&r=Subject%2CAuthor%2CContent&l=20

More to come.

Mike