Michael FitzPatrick, representing the Eureka Springs Rural first responders, commented at the Oct. 16 meeting of the Western Carroll County Ambulance District that his responders are responsible for 110 square miles of the county surrounding Eureka Springs. He said responders go to calls in the area where they are, and sometimes have to travel past the fire station from which an ambulance already departed to get to a call. He said he does not expect a responder at the extreme end of Rockhouse Road, for example, to drive 40 minutes to respond to a call at the extreme end of Buck Mountain, and there was one non-emergency call during the past two months in which no ES-R first responder responded.
Chair Sam Ward said he was troubled that no responder showed up, and this was not the first ES-R report in which this had happened. “You don’t know what is needed until you get there,” Ward declared. He acknowledged that sometimes a dispatcher might say the call is not an emergency, but a dispatcher does not necessarily have all the information, and a situation can change. He was not comfortable with the process for deciding whether first responders were necessary, and asked if the Eureka Springs Rural zone was simply too large. He said it was a problem they can resolve, but in the meantime it concerned him.
FitzPatrick answered that the ambulance squad might say they do not need first responders, but Ward reiterated his point that first responders should arrive first.
Eureka Springs Fire Chief Nick Samac interjected the response depends on the location of the call. Sometimes the ambulance gets there first and no staging is needed, and maybe there are no first responders in that area. Samac said he would love to have more first responders in certain parts of the county.
Ward insisted it was important for the district to know who would be responding to calls, and it was not valid not to respond just because a dispatcher said it was unnecessary. FitzPatrick said Samac was responsible for ES-R first responders and it was Samac’s duty to let them know if they are not performing well.
Inspiration Point Chief Ed Thompson said his responders go to every call, and sometimes after they arrive they are told they are needed. He said he understood FitzPatrick’s situation because in some areas there just are not any responders.
Commissioner Connie Deaton commented this situation was something for Samac and FitzPatrick to consider, to which Samac remarked he wished he had more first responders.
Thompson reported the IP responders had 25 calls during August and September, nine of which were medical calls to the same address, and then someone from the same address was in an auto accident. He also mentioned someone was out on the White River at night and had to be rescued, and there was one call to the downhill bike trails at Lake Leatherwood City Park. Samac added the Parks Department has continued to improve access to the trails for greater safety, plus they have added more safety equipment on site.
Thompson said they responded to five events during the Bikes Blues & Barbecue weekend, and observed that more riders are wearing helmets nowadays. Samac commented BB&B is the third largest bike rally in the country, so it is inevitable there will be accidents.
Water rescues
Alliance Chair Lynn Palmer announced the Grassy Knob Fire Department purchased a fiberglass rescue boat, and she asked WCCAD to purchase two floodlights for the boat. Commissioners voted to spend $469 each for the two floodlights which Grassy Knob personnel will install.
Thompson told commissioners he will be asking for funds for flotation vests and other equipment such as wet suits for operating at night in cold water. He said IP has been called to three water rescues this year, and they have had as many as six in one year in the past. His unit is training folks in water rescue, and he will organize his request and present it at another meeting.
Other business
- Commissioner Judy Thorpe attended her first meeting, so all seats on the commission are filled.
- Palmer noted five students have been attending a four-month EMT class at ESFD part of which is completed online.
Next meeting will be Tuesday, Dec. 18, at 4 p.m., at the Grassy Knob Fire Station.