The Western Carroll County Ambulance District board last week approved a new contract for the Eureka Springs Fire Department Emergency Medical Services to provide ambulance service to the western part of the county. Approval was quick and anticlimactic after heated exchanges about points in the contract at workshops and meetings in preceding months. Commissioner David Carlisle said he would take the signed document to Mayor Butch Berry the following morning for his signature.
Performance report
ESFD Chief Nick Samac carefully went over the EMS performance report explaining any responses that went beyond the expected time. He said he is changing report forms, including color-coding the calls according to recent discussions, and commissioners suggested other modifications such as distinguishing which calls were non-critical and therefore would have a slower response time. Samac said he would continue to revise reporting, and commissioner Ken Mills said he likes what he has seen so far.
EMR reports
The Grassy Knob Fire Department had seven calls in May but nothing out of the ordinary. Inspiration Point had eight, and Holiday Island had 31 on the island and six rural, all typical.
Mike FitzPatrick spoke for Rural Eureka Springs responders, and said he took exception to the statement in the minutes of the April 18 meeting in which Ward stated of the 98 calls during the previous reporting period, R-ES had not responded to 88 of them. FitzPatrick called the statement false news and claimed there was no basis for it. He said there had been no calls in which he or his responders had not been available.
Commissioner Marie Lee took a quick look through her binder and found the minutes in question and the quote referred to and showed Ward. “Okay, I found it,” Ward said. “If I said it, I apologize to you.”
“Apology accepted,” FitzPatrick replied.
New officers
Commissioners elected David Carlisle, chair; Sam Ward, vice-chair; Judy Giggey, secretary; Ken Mills, treasurer.
Next regular meeting will be Tuesday, August 15, at 4 p.m., at ESFD.