×
×
homepage logo
STORE

Doctors, nurses said keep ambulances service

By Staff | Jan 5, 2010

To The Editor:

I am one of the shameful fire commissioners who voted to keep the ambulance service in Lehigh.

The Florida State state statues give the Fire Commissioners Board the power to set policy for the safety of the fire district and to provide a balanced budget.

It gives the board power to hire or fire the chief and also gives power to look to future growth of the district.

I retired from the insurance business holding the office of branch manager (one of five) from the largest agency in the U.S. My branch income was more than $1 million a year.

I personally wrote policies for fire departments, ambulance squads and manufacturer who made fire equipment. I always investigate fire policies.

I heard what John Wilson, who heads the Lee County EMS (ambulance service) and his staff said about putting ambulances in strategic locations in Lehigh.’

I talked with county EMS employees. They shared a different view.

I talked with the ER personnel (doctors and nurses) at the largest hospital in Lee County and they said do not give up your ambulance service.

An expert in EMS service informed me that if the Lehigh Ambulance service was transferred to the county, we would not get it back.

The Board of County Commissioners are the ones who decide. They are looking at the million dollars, they would be giving back to us.

I have been a fire commissioner for nine years. I have seen the department grow to a professional level and I am proud of it.

We are going through hard times. If we all work together, we will have a better fire department in the future.

Ralph Hemingway

Fire Commissioner

Lehigh Acres

Hemingway was one of three fire board commissioners who voted against the fire chief’s proposal to take personnel off of ambulances and put them on fire trucks and allow the county to run ambulance service in Lehigh. – Ed.