Atlas Twp.-Groveland Township EMS has returned to Genesee County.
Following a hour and half of heated dialogue at a special township meeting March 25 in which several Genesee County Township supervisors, area fire chiefs, and law enforcement bantered with Genesee County Medical Control Authority (GCMCA) officials over their protocol banning Oakland County-based Groveland Township EMS from making emergency runs into Atlas Township’the Genesee County Sheriff had seen enough.
‘I’ve taken the position, when Genesee County deputies get a call in Atlas Township they are to call Groveland Township EMS,? said Robert Pickell, Genesee County sheriff. ‘They have the quickest response time and they are closest. Minutes mean everything when a life is on the line. I’ve given a standing order to (Genesee County) 9-1-1 to send Groveland Township when a call occurs. What difference does it make if we can save a life? Atlas Township is a rural area and it takes longer to get there. The EMS in Genesee County are good people and do an excellent job, but 9-1-1 is now calling Groveland.?
The need for the heated township meeting which drew the ire of about 30 individuals stemmed from a GCMCA rule.
As of Dec. 31 the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS) requirement in Genesee County expired for Groveland Township EMS, banning any medical responses into Atlas Township. Due to low call volume, Goodrich and Atlas Township are not covered by an EMS, rather, depend on nearby private ambulance services from Grand Blanc, Davison and, until January, Groveland Township in case of emergency. As a result, response times in emergency situations have been a concern for township officials. Both Groveland and Brandon townships are just a few miles south of the county line and can respond in fewer minutes. The protocol established by Genesee County notifies an EMS stationed on Saginaw Street in Grand Blanc or the nearest ambulance that may be somewhere in the area.
Bruce Trevithick, executive director of the GCMCA, emphasizes that CAAS meets the basic standards and they are more comfortable with that for Genesee County. Conversely, Oakland County has more municipalities like Brandon and Groveland townships that have built-in standards. They have a different mechanism for oversight. Trevithick understands the CAAS requirement, which is renewed every three years, does cost a fair amount of money’anywhere from $10,000-$15,000. Trevithick said the CAAS requirement in Genesee County, not required in Oakland County, is due to the large volume of private EMS agencies located in the area and functions as oversight. In addition, Genesee County EMS are equipped with Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) systems to determine the closest unit to the request for emergency medical care, which went into effect in October 2013 in Genesee County.
Trevithick, at whom the majority of rage was directed on March 25, responded to Pickell’s decision.
‘There will be no further steps by the Medical Control Authority until our meeting on April 23,? said Trevithick. ‘At that time this issue will be discussed. But right now I understand that Groveland Township EMS is going into Genesee County through 9-1-1. It’s my understanding it’s a mutual aid agreement with the Genesee County Sheriff Department. But I’m not sure what agreement that is. I would like to see this agreement if there is one.?
Trevithick reminded those who attended the meeting that Genesee County borders Lapeer, Livingston, Oakland, Saginaw, Shiawassee and Tuscola counties. His concern is if they make an exception for Brandon and Groveland townships in Oakland County, then other communities would expect the same considerations.
‘It’s been a free market system in Genesee County,? he said. ‘There’s no accountability in Genesee County, it’s very different (than Oakland County). The hospitals are responsible for overseeing the EMS system. In other counties the municipalities are responsible for the EMS’it’s not like police or fire in Genesee County.?
Pickell sent a strong message to the Medical Control Authority.
‘I’m hoping they (GCMCA) heard what the elected officials and citizens are saying about EMS in Atlas Township,? he said. ‘We are talking about heart attack victims, strokes, accidents’there are lives at stake here.?
Groveland Township Fire Chief Steve McGee said they started receiving 9-1-1 calls on Saturday and by Thursday the EMS had responded to five calls.
‘I think the sheriff did the right thing,? said McGee. ‘Patient care trumps polictics everytime. We’ll continue to serve Atlas Township in what ever capacity necessary to assure public safety and the welfare of our neighbors.?
On Thursday morning Groveland Township EMS responded to a 60-year-old man Atlas Township man that had slipped off a roof head first.
‘The victim was a Trauma 1’the highest level of trauma,? said McGee. ‘We responded and arrived in six minutes. The victim’s family thanks us for the quick response.?