Councillor Ken Chapman has suggested ongoing efforts to improve ambulance service in Erin may be futile.
“I don’t believe we will ever get an ambulance in this town – ever,” he said on Feb. 2. “This is wrong, it’s totally wrong.”
Chapman’s comments came just two days after a woman waited for approximately 70 minutes for an ambulance after falling and injuring her knee outside the Centre 2000 community centre.
A community centre employee called 911 to request an ambulance and also asked that the town’s fire department be dispatched since Erin is notorious for its long wait times for ambulances.
But because the woman was not having trouble breathing, the dispatcher refused to send firefighters – a fact which generated some discontent from Chapman and other councillors.
“That is not good,” said councillor Barb Tocher. She added when a town employee requests a town service, it should be granted.
“An hour and ten minutes is too long to wait for an ambulance to come if you’ve got a cold,” Tocher said.
She suggested town representatives get some documented cases prepared for a possible meeting with Minister of Health Deb?Matthews during the Ontario Good Roads Association conference from Feb. 21 to 24 in Toronto.
Mayor Rod Finnie said the town has requested a meeting on Feb. 22 but had yet to get confirmation.
He stressed he did not want to keep rehashing the same complaints, but something has to be done to improve ambulance response times in the town, which regularly reach 23 minutes.
“Nothing has changed. In fact, it’s getting worse,” said Finnie.
