This past Tuesday, the Board of Trustees passed an ordinance that requires any outside ambulance service to contact our own service, should they receive a direct call (not 9-1-1) to come to the Heights. The reason? We need to know what situation one of our citizens may be in. Is it a cardiac, or just a sprained ankle? Is it stroke related, or a minor cut to the head? In virtually ever circumstance, the Peoria Heights ambulance is going to be closer (sometimes a LOT closer) than any outside emergency service.
It would appear that passage of this ordinance would be a slam dunk. For those of you who might not know, Peoria Heights now has an Advanced Life Support (ALS) crew that is available around the clock. In other words, we offer virtually anything that any outside agency could offer regarding emergency treatment. So, for the safety of our residents, we NEED to know what emergency situation might arise within our corporate limits. Yet, somehow, the proposed ordinance became a sticking point for two of our trustees - Andrea Pendleton and R. Scott Owen. Trustee Owen had spoken with a representative of AMT (Advanced Medical Transport), and had reportedly been told that AMT might do away with the mutual aid agreement we have with them, should the ordinance be passed.
Trustee Pendleton stated that she felt the ordinance would take away the "choice" one has to have call whichever ambulance service one wishes to call.
This is not the case. The person can still call AMT if he/she wants to, it's just that AMT will need to call us to tell us the situation, if it is a direct call to AMT. (A 9-1-1 call comes directly to the Heights).
This ordinance was already passed by municipalities like Washington; East Peoria; Pekin, etc. some time ago. We're not creating a new concept here. And yet, somehow, it now was making a big hoo-hah, particularly to the two dissenting trustees.
In the end, the ordinance passed 4-2, with Trustees Pendleton and Owen voting against.
Maybe I'm mistaken, but it seems to me that the vast majority of the residents of Peoria Heights want to have HEIGHTS services. We now have a top-notch ambulance service, and yet there are those who seem to want to throw roadblocks into its path. I'm at a loss to fully understand the reasons why. Trustee Pendleton has consistently voted against everything having to do with the full-time paid ambulance service. She has stated that the Village will not be able to afford it in the long term. There is nothing so far to back up that theory.
I appreciate the positive and forward thinking of those trustees and residents who have embraced the ALS full-time service. We have dedicated, top of the line emergency personnel; a service we can be infinitely proud of.
And, we should be.
What is the problem if most of your paramedics either work or worked for AMT.
ReplyDeleteThat may be the problem, when push comes to shove. I understand that Peoria Heights is also the first community based ALS unit in Peoria County; in essence, possibly being viewed as "stepping into" AMT's territory.
ReplyDeleteBut, that "territory" certainly can never be considered as exclusive. That's not the way of the world. Peoria Heights, in my opinion, should not be faulted by ANYONE for looking for the best interests of its citizens.
The Political Propaganda continues!
ReplyDeleteWell I see that the media missed another sorry display of not one, but two Trustees at the January 5th Board of Trustees meeting. Why can't Pendleton and now Owen just leave the ambulance service in Peoria Heights alone? Some people say it's just politics, and some people say it's the way the Peoples Party reacts to failure. Whatever it is, or what ever they want to call it, just let it be. Both Pendleton and Owen voted no on the new ambulance ordinance that they apparently did not understand, and was led astray by another one of (AMT) Advanced Medical Transports strong-arm tactics. Now wouldn't you think that if they would have had questions or "concerns" about the ordinance that they would have asked the person or people involved with it from the beginning? No, that would be too rational for their like.
Pendleton, and now Owen have been against the ambulance service in some way or another, and for their own reasons.We all know why, well a lot of us residents do anyway. Now, since Pendleton and Owen have both called and discussed the ambulance ordinance that apparently they don't understand with people from AMT, and according to Owen, "AMT representitives stated that there may be repercussions if the ambulance ordinance passes." Such as, "A mutual-aid agreement that is DECADES OLD between the Village of Peoria Heights Ambulance Service and AMT be torn up, and a no-compete clause written between AMT and the employees from AMT that work part-time for the Heights ambulance." A no-compete clause??????? I didn't know that the Heights ambulance were competing against AMT in the first place.
From what I was told is that AMT administration has recently tried their "scare tactics" with some of their employees that work part-time for the Heights ambulance. From what I understand, and from what I have been told is that all the Heights ambulance service wants to do is this; To give the best service and care to the residents of the village of Peoria Heights with it's own ambulance service. What's wrong with that? The Heights ambulance is just another service offered by the village, which is both an old and growing trend, and may I add that it is operated 24/7/365 with Paramedics just like AMT does. The Heights ambulance service is not doing anything different than what Morton, East Peoria, or Pekin has done including a 9-1-1 ordinance.
Pendleton, Owen and AMT;
TIMES, THEY ARE A CHANGIN! So let it be.
IT LOOKS LIKE I SNIFFED OUT ANOTHER REALITIVE OF KIM JONG -IL, I BELEIVE THAT THE HEAD HONCHO OF AMT IS KIM JONG-ILS OTHER BROTHER. KEEP YOUR BRAINWASH TACTICS DOWN THERE IN NORTH KOREA WEST PEORIA AND LEAVE THE HEIGHTS AMERICAN PEOPLE ALONE. AND BY THE WAY HEAD HONCHO FROM AMT IT LOOKS LIKE YOUR PEOPLE THAT WORK UP HERE IN THE GOOD OLE HEIGHTS,DONT LIKE WORKING FOR YOU TO WELL NOW DO THEY......
ReplyDeletePendleton wanted to be able to choose her ambulance provider in an emergency situation. And that would be easier than dialing 911? When minutes count I want the closest ambulance to come to my house/work. And being the Heights and AMT are both paramedic level, the answer is a given. I live in the Heights and want a Heights paramedic ambulance to care for me. Thankyou Peoria Heights ambulance and fire personnel for all you do.
ReplyDeleteThe "choice" option thrown out there by Trustee Pendleton is, in my opinion, just plain weird. Our ambulance service is ALS certified, as is AMT. If it figures (and it does) that 99.76% of the time that we're going to be a heckuva lot closer to any house in the Heights than an AMT vehicle is, wouldn't you want the closest ambulance service to be called in?
ReplyDeleteThe longer one thinks about it (and I had to cut it off rather quickly, as I was getting a severe headache), Trustee Pendleton's reason for voting against the ordinance ("choice" of ambulance service) seems more like the best public excuse she could come up with to vote against something she was going to vote against, regardless.
And, if that's the best excuse, I can only imagine what the alternatives were.