Hubbard outlines plan for ambulance service

The mayor's goal is a two-minute response time.
By SEAN BARRON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
HUBBARD -- If a plan some city officials back becomes a reality, city residents will have faster and more efficient ambulance service.
At Monday's city council meeting, Mayor Arthur U. Magee outlined parts of the plan, which would have medical specialists, including emergency medical technicians, on the scene more quickly to treat a victim before an ambulance arrives.
The city has limited ambulance service, Magee noted, and the idea will allow more people to be served using fewer personnel.
Magee said he has as a goal a two-minute response time; now it can take an average of 10 minutes to 15 minutes to get an ambulance to a residence, he added. Trained personnel will be located in the community, Magee continued.
Hubbard has limited service partly because "there is no money in the [ambulance] business," so private companies in nearby Sharon, Pa., and other neighboring communities answer some calls, the mayor said.
With the plan, city officials will be able to control costs as well as the quality of service and staff, Magee added.
Parking ordinance
In other business, council moved to a second reading an ordinance that would prohibit people from parking and leaving vehicles in their front yards.
During caucus, several officials discussed the ordinance but were unable to agree on its potential effectiveness in making the city more visually appealing and its implications.
Councilman Bill Williams predicted the idea of ticketing residents would cause more problems than it would solve. Councilwoman Lisha Baumiller added that the ordinance would allow officers to exercise some latitude if, for example, the vehicle were parked in someone's yard to be washed or waxed.
Councilman Raymond Moffitt added that he thinks the idea should be a zoning, not a police, issue.
Magee said he thinks the ordinance should be tried for 60 to 90 days then revisited.
The mayor announced a ribbon-cutting ceremony slated to be from 2 to 5 p.m. June 25 for the new 5,000-square-foot safety center at 220 School St. The building will house the police department, community center and the jail.