Info on ambulance response times sought

The safety director said the ambulance call plan was ill conceived.
By D.A. WILKINSON
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
SALEM -- City council will ask ambulance companies for their records to try to resolve complaints about slow response times.
Patty Colian of Salem told council recently that companies were not responding within nine minutes as required by city ordinance.
Violating the nine-minute rule can result in a minor misdemeanor charge.
On Tuesday, Councilman Earl A. Schory II, head of council's traffic and safety committee, quizzed city Safety Director Scott Cranmer on the issue.
Cranmer said two companies, Rural Metro Ambulance and KLG Ambulance, now serve the city. Cranmer said a third, Clemente Professional Ambulance, recently pulled out of the monthly rotation after he called to discuss the response-time issue.
Cranmer said he wouldn't discuss problems the city has had with any specific company.
"We're not going to name names here," he said.
Problems with ordinance
He said one company will contact another if its ambulances are tied up. But the ordinance doesn't say whether the nine-minute rule applies under those circumstances, he said.
The ordinance also doesn't include issues such as bad weather.
The ordinance also doesn't clarify who is to be held responsible for violating the plan.
"Who do you discipline? The company? The crew?" Cranmer asked.
"I feel this is an ill-conceived plan," said Cranmer.
The city agreed to the plan back in the 1990s.
Michael Burns, the head of the fire fighters union, said that much of the problem may be eliminated after Columbiana County starts enhanced 911 service that would help to coordinate responses. The 911 system is expected to go online later this year.
wilkinson@vindy.com