REALLY!!! Then WHO CHANGED IT?
At one time the LMRFD had the resources to cover the 2200 square mile CON or Certificate of Necessity form the state. WHY Can't we change the area covered by the LMRFD Ambulance since our resources have changed from seven ambulances to one.
At one time the LMRFD web page said the fire district had seven ALS (Advanced Life Support) ambulances and four rescue vehicles with extradition equipment...
At the LMRFD board meetings we have been told over and over that the LMRFD CON Certificate of Necessity can NOT be changed. Period... NOT TRUE
The image below is a map of the LMRFD CON Certificate of Necessity issued by the Arizona EMS Bureau.
As you can see the CON covers a huge area that extends into Coconino County. The LMRFD Does NOT RESPOND to calls in the eastern part of the CON or in Coconino County.
In fact, if you look at a map, you can't get there from here....
To get from the LMRFD fire station in Dolan Springs to the eastern part of the CON is on Route 66. From Dolan Springs to Frazier Wells is 116 miles and takes a little over 2 hours to get there... If responding from Meadview it's 133 miles and 2 1/2 hours to get there.
We need to ask why if the CON can NOT BE CHANGED, who made this change, is it legal to reduce the CON area without advising the MS Board.
If they reduced the CON in this case, why can't we reduce the CON to cover the 144 square mile fire district. If people in White Hills want fire and ambulance service join the fire district and pay their fair share or start their own fire district and ambulance.
Currently the taxpayers in the 144 sm LMRFD are the only one's supporting the basic fire and EMS services. Yes people in White Hills pay when they call the ambulance.
I question how much the LMRFD has recovered responding to fires outside the district like the fire at Rosie's Den and others.
How much do we get is kind of a moot point if our only firefighters are up in White Hills when your home burns down or your husband dies of a heart attack.
Why don't the taxpayers in the LMRFD get it? Why is the LMRFD Ambulance the ONLY fire ambulance that covers 2000 square miles OUTSIDE their fire district.
If we had seven ALS (Advanced Life Support) ambulances and four rescue vehicles with extradition equipment and volunteers around the fire district, we could cover 2200 sm's...
BUT we don't, we have one ambulance...
We have a broken EMS service in the LMRFD and it needs fixed....
The CON issue in AZ is always problematic, particularly in rural areas. When Hualapai Valley and Valley Visat Fire Districts merged in 2007, they applied and were denied a CON for Valle Vista, Hackberry, Valentine and Truxton. AMR fought the CON, as they did not want to lose money. The response times for AMR to these areas is extensive, up to one hour. It seems lives in rural areas is not important. Did we mention that Erik Berg, newly appointed Director to NACFD is a supervisor for AMR? conflict of interest? Or is AMR just trying to protect their investment in Kingman?
ReplyDeleteIn Spokane Mercy Ambulance was very proactive in rural areas providing their older ambulances and training in rural areas. In Washington it was always patients first....
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