Thursday, October 16, 2008

Suburban Appointed as Forks Township EMS Sole Provider

Tonight, the Forks Township Board of Supervisors (BoS) appointed Suburban EMS as the sole provider of Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Life Support(ALS) services. The BoS approved the appointment by a 5 to 0 vote. The  change of EMS providers is effective on October 18, 2008 at 12:01 AM.

This situation was caused by the Forks EMS refusal to provide monthly financial statements and to provide a current business plan.  The Forks BoS extended a written invitation to both parties to appear at tonight board meeting to discuss the current situation. The last straw for the Forks BoS was the absence of the Forks EMS leadership team at tonight's meeting.

Additionally, the BoS stated that two subscriptions letters were mailed to Forks Residents soliciting donations for both the Suburban and Forks EMS squads. The Forks residents was asked to pay $112 in yearly subscription fees, where most townships pay about $65 a year. 

The Suburban EMS leadership team assured the Forks BoS that all 911 calls would be covered, so Forks Residents will not have an interruption in EMS coverage.

Honestly, this action by the Forks BoS was long overdue.  The Forks EMS leadership team had many chances to provide monthly financial statements, resolve the billing dispute with Suburban EMS, and create a viable business plan.  They just failed to respond to any suggestions or offers of help to resolve the situation.

It is sad the Forks EMS professionals may be out of work in this difficult economic environment. I am grateful for their service to our community.

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