GIRARD Official seeks to improve emergency response time

The councilman said he would like the issue to be addressed soon.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
GIRARD -- A complaint of slow ambulance service has one city council member questioning the fire department's role as first responders.
John DeCianno of McDonald said he and his wife, Joann, came to the city Jan. 23 to pick up prescription medication from Brine Pharmacy on North State Street. What should have been a routine trip nearly turned disastrous, DeCianno said.
While waiting in line, DeCianno turned to see his wife's fists tightening and recognized the early signs of a seizure. With the help of an off-duty Weathersfield Township police officer he managed to lay his wife on the floor inside the store.
"Fortunately, she was standing behind me or she would have hit the floor and cracked her head," he said.
According to DeCianno, the pharmacist at the store called for a paramedic immediately, but after 20 minutes no ambulance had arrived. He said three calls for an ambulance were made in the half-hour before an ambulance arrived at the pharmacy.
Mrs. DeCianno was eventually transported to an area hospital, and is now recovering at home.
Wants return of city service
DeCianno, who said he was a paramedic for five years in the 1970s and a longtime firefighter, called the time elapsed from the first call to the arrival of the ambulance unacceptable. He said the city needs to again start offering ambulance service.
"I want [the city] to get back in there and get their own service where they can get an ambulance to people on time," he said. "I was so disappointed."
The city had once operated ambulance service, but that ended at the close of 2003.
Jerry Lambert, city safety service director, said the city now contracts all its ambulance calls through Rural Metro Ambulance Service. He said any complaints about service are directed to his office and followed up with Rural Metro. He is looking into DeCianno's claim of a slow response time.
Firefighter paramedics
Councilman Dan Moadus said the city could be doing more in the way of acting as first responders even without the ambulance service. He said firefighters here are paid an additional $1.32 per hour to have paramedic training.
"We are paying for paramedic service and they are not doing it. They are not even doing EMS services. It just infuriates me," he said.
Moadus said firefighter response along with traditional ambulatory response to emergencies will likely result in an emergency responder's making it to the scene of an emergency faster because firefighters are more likely to know how to navigate lesser-known areas of the city.
Moadus said if nothing is done to address the problem soon he will push for removal of the additional $1.32-per-hour firefighters receive for certification as paramedics.
jgoodwin@vindy.com