The ongoing issues of 9-1-1 response time in Atlas Township may be nearing a possible resolution.
On Oct. 7, the Genesee County Medical Control Authority gathered in a special meeting to discuss a proposal to stave off losing about 50 percent of their funding. The issue stems from a Sept. 10 meeting where the Genesee County Board of Commissioners approved $150,000 from the county EMS millage for the Genesee County Medical Control Authority; however, the funding was withheld until the GCMCA and the Michigan Township Association Genesee County Chapter meet to resolve the ongoing EMS response issues with Atlas Township, along with other outlying municipalities. In addition, the resolution stipulates the GCMCA recognize ambulance companies, as it has done with the current Groveland Township Mutual Aid Agreement and treat the municipal providers in nearby counties the same. There has been no date for the MTA-Genesee County Chapter meeting with GCMCA.
The GCMCA, which has statutory authority to monitor both the emergency and non-emergency agencies and incidents in Genesee County, has a budget of about $295,000, which includes two employees. The GCMCA fiscal year begins Oct. 1 and the two employees are paid $237,000 from that budget.
Bruce Trevithick, executive director of GCMCA, said a resolution will be put on the table next week in a meeting with Atlas Township Supervisor Shirley-Kautman Jones, Joseph Madore, Michigan Townships Association’Genesee County Chapter and Mark Young, Genesee County Commissioners representing Atlas Township.
‘Our board (GCMCA) recommended a change in the mutual aid agrement that would allow under strict circumstances that bordering licensed EMS agencies could respond to Tier One or life threatening calls only,? he said. ‘Those agencies would be required to be connected with the 9-1-1 center in Genesee County. They would not be required to be a member of CAAS.?
Trevithick emphasizes that CAAS, the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services, meets the basic standards and they are more comfortable with that for Genesee County. He also 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. Due to the costs, neither Brandon nor Groveland Township have the CAAS certification.
The proposal was yet another attempt to conclude the ongoing banter over protocol banning Oakland County-based Groveland Township EMS from making emergency runs into Atlas Township.
Due to low call volume, Goodrich and Atlas Township are not covered by an EMS, rather, they 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. However, the protocol established by GCMCA notifies an EMS stationed on Saginaw Street in Grand Blanc or the nearest ambulance that may be somewhere in the area of Goodrich or Atlas Township.
Commissioner Young was skeptical with the GCMCA proposal.
‘They have had six years to resolve this issue,? said Young. ‘They (GCMCA) have made statements in the past that the Genesee County Sheriff did not have the authority to enter into a mutual aid agreement. We are going to have to look through this agreement.?
‘The $150,000 withheld is going to be the hammer that we are going to hold over their heads until it’s resolved,? he added. ‘This has been a bureaucratic nightmare.?
The EMS issue with townships has escalated, prompting the Michigan Township Association-Genesee County to pass a resolution proposing that CAAS certification be waived for municipally owned and operated ambulance services, like Groveland and Brandon townships.
‘Genesee County residents need to be assured that their health and safety will be addressed in a way that their emergency is taken seriously and will be addressed seriously,? said Joe Madore, Richfield Township supervisor and MTA Genesee County president.
The ongoing issues prompted a special meeting in March at Atlas Township Hall in which Robert Pickell, Genesee County sheriff, issued a standing order for 9-1-1 to send Groveland Township when a medical call occurs into Genesee County under the mutual aid agreement. The dispute reemerged this past summer when Goodrich Schools requested Groveland Township EMS to park an ambulance at Goodrich Varsity Football games. In years past Groveland Township had provided this service to the district following a Sept. 30, 2011 incident where a Lake Fenton player laid on the field as minutes passed before an ambulance arrived. The delay sparked the ire of parents and township officials with safety concerns.
Now, since Groveland does not have CAAS certification, they are technically unauthorized to be stationed at the Goodrich football games even with the current mutual aid agreement with Genesee County 9-1-1. However, the Groveland Townhip EMS continue to remain during the Goodrich High School football games.