Letter: Political agenda behind ambulance issues

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To the editor,

Public Safety? Do are elected officials truly care about EMS or has this become a personal agenda?

After reading the latest articles about payment of the emergency medical dispatch and whose responsibility it is, I believe you should read and understand the following Connecticut General Statute. Specifically CGS 28-25b (g)(1) and (g)(2).

First and foremost the Borough of Naugatuck has the assigned PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point) Yes, all 911 calls are routed into the Naugatuck Police Department. So the borough holds responsibility for the how and who provides the EMD services. In the case of Naugatuck it appears that they have a contract with Northwest Public Safety to provide such services. While I understand that it seems past agreements/contracts when Naugatuck Ambulance was being funded by the borough seem to indicate that part of the funding would be used to pay the obvious contract that Northwest Public Safety is a sub-contractor for to provide the statutory services.

Regardless of past understandings or contracts The Borough of Naugatuck is the responsible to provide and pay for those services and it clearly is not the responsibility of Naugatuck Ambulance. Naugatuck Ambulance lends itself to only be responsible to pay for the dispatch services of the emergency ambulance services they provide.

Three years ago the borough set up an ad hock EMS commission. The board being chaired by Deputy Mayor Rossi has always said it is transparent yet at every Burgess meeting “EMS” is held strictly to executive session and nothing ever comes out about it. It is clear, as stated in the recent article, “Rift remains,” on the Citizen’s News website, that yes, it is a political agenda.
Why have the residents of Naugatuck not been made aware of the talks and what the content of these talk are? What are the proposals that have been given to Naugatuck Ambulance to consider? In fact what are the proposals that Naugatuck Ambulance has offered the borough? The Board of Mayor and Burgesses seems to be hiding and there clearly has been no transparency at all and I believe that if this continues, the safety of the residents of this town will clearly suffer.

I believe there is much to be said about having an EMS service dedicated to the residents. Yes, I do agree Naugatuck Ambulance clearly deserves the attention and oversight by the borough as has always been written in the Primary Service Area statues. However, the men and women EMTs and paramedics are dedicated and well trained and provide the utmost professional services to our town. Let’s not make this a political agenda and yes, Connecticut Emergency Medical Services are a very tight community of dedicated people and the Borough of Naugatuck is the talk in many local communities and to be honest they are laughing at the elected officials of this town as to their lack of knowledge and personal stabs at Naugatuck Ambulance.

Frank Posca

Naugatuck

The writer is a 27 year EMS professional and past certified emergency dispatcher.

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