Letter to the editor — August 3, 2013

Dear editor,
I am concerned the merger of the EMS services could result in services being affected countywide. As of now Iola does not have type I EMS service. It relies on Allen County for type I ambulance service.
Allen County agreed to pay Iola $80,000 to man an ambulance service, but this is only for type II service.
The city of Iola since purchasing these used EMS units has found it cannot generate enough revenue to sustain them without digging deep in the city’s budget, even with the $80,000 from the county.
I thought everything was settled. The county bought a building to house the county EMS units and I thought it was all going good until after the election. One of the county commissioners decided it wasn’t a done deal. So here we go again.
This merger has been an issue for years. So the city said it would buy two ambulances, but it could only furnish type II service.
It purchased its own license and began operation.
Now the merger again has reared its ugly head. Our county commissioners have spent their valuable time dealing with this, instead of dealing with the county as a whole.
Let’s look at what each governing body brings to this merger.
As I see it, Iola has two EMS type II units. One is 18 years old and the other is 17 years old, while Allen County has four type I EMS units with the oldest being a 2001, 12 years old.
Iola has three firefighter/paramedics. Allen County has eight paramedics, which will put a paramedic on each unit every shift. The difference between type II, which Iola has, and type I, which the county has, is there is a paramedic on board on every run, who can administer life-saving drugs and services.
Iola has no facilities for female EMTs (at the fire station). I heard the county has remodeled the new building to facilitate the needs of all EMTs. Congrats to the county commissioners
In the merger agreement, Allen County would buy a new EMS unit every other year. If this is agreed on, I assume they will replace the oldest units first. If they keep with this pace for replacements, the county’s newest unit, which is a 2011 unit, would be replaced in 2024. It would then be 13 years old. I wonder where Iola would house a 13-year-old unit, Humboldt or Moran?
I certainly don’t feel real comfortable with the city of Iola running the day-to-day operations of the EMS unit housed in Humboldt. This is my opinion.
I thought that Allen County had a workable agreement with Iola until after the last election. Then this merger raised its ugly head again.
I have first-hand knowledge of a type II EMS service.
My wife had a seizure when all county EMS units were busy. They sent an Iola type II unit. It had two firefighters aboard. I said please don’t give her Valium. They said, “We can’t give her any drugs.” So I said just get her aboard and take her to the hospital. They said, “OK.”
In the meantime, a county unit had freed up, so they stopped the first unit, to let the second unit with a paramedic get aboard, and as they sat along the side of the road, started an IV. She was still seizuring, while they gave her a drug she does not get along with very good. So, she spent the next four days in the hospital.
I feel if I could have talked with that paramedic, I could have had a difference in the outcome.
I may be alone in my feelings, I just don’t have a real good feeling about city of Iola being in charge of the EMS unit stationed in Humboldt.
What’s next?
I know the city of Iola has a road department.