City, Summerhill responding to EMS issues

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February 5, 2010

Anonymous The Tribune-Democrat Fri Feb 05, 2010, 01:36 PM EST

The city of Johnstown and Summerhill Township are making headlines these days with their emergency medical services.

In both cases, we urge that cool heads and sound decision-making prevail and that the welfare of the citizens be put above all else.

In Johnstown, a debate could become highly emotional and drawn out. The city’s paid firefighters revealed last week that they want to take over ambulance duties, apparently seeing the added services as a way to save or even increase department manpower.

If that were to happen, there apparently would be no need for the city’s longtime independent services – Seventh Ward and West End Ambulance – although Art Martynuska, president of the fire department’s union, said “a hostile takeover is not the intention.”

We hope that is the case.

For Summerhill, the issue and any agonizing apparently will be short-lived. It was announced – many say to their surprise – that the Beaverdale Ambulance Association was being forced to close because of financial reasons.

That’s a shame. No one likes to see services, especially those involving life and death matters, decrease.

But, unfortunately, we know of several ambulance and fire services inside and outside our region that have met or are close to meeting the same fate as Beaverdale’s.

The result generally has been that others have come along to provide the services, albeit with longer response times involved.

And that’s what has happened to Summerhill Township residents. Services will now come from either the Forest Hills or Portage service, depending on where a resident lives.

We credit the Summerhill Township supervisors and Beaverdale responders for meeting with residents to answer questions and map out plans for the future.

A follow-up meeting for residents with ambulance personnel from Portage and Forest Hills is expected to be scheduled in a couple of weeks to discuss and tweak any needed changes.

A good idea.

Meanwhile, a lot of questions and concerns are spinning throughout the city with the fire department’s announcement. For years, leaders of the department’s union have touted the potential benefits of taking over all emergency medical calls. But the idea has gone nowhere, having been rejected by previous city managers as too costly and too risky.

We don’t know that anything has changed with the latest proposal. But representatives of the West End and Seventh Ward groups, to their credit, have said they are willing to sit down and talk.

Martynuska said he believes the change could bring about a “consolidation of services and elimination of redundancy” while also bringing much-needed cash into the coffers of a financially distressed city.

Representatives of both ambulance organizations, which combined have 31 full-time and 44 part-time workers, told council that they provide what amounts to a “free” service to the city, with no taxpayer money involved.

Revenues, they said, come from insurance reimbursements and membership dues.

“It doesn’t hurt to look at this,” Councilman Pete Vizza said. “We have to look at what’s best for the city of Johnstown.”

Yes, and just as importantly, its people, too.

An informal agreement has been made to form a committee – including representatives from the city, fire department and ambulance associations – to study the issue.

We’ll be interested to learn more and to inform our readers.

But we urge all sides to move cautiously. The city cannot afford another financial blunder.

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