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Letters to the Editor Dear Editor,It has come to my attention that the board for ESD #4 has tabled the decision to choose an EMS provider for the Buffalo area ESD. This news saddens me because the decision should be obvious: You NEED Jewett EMS as the primary provider. Jewett EMS is hands down the best provider for ESD #4. The only reason someone would remotely consider another service would be to choose a financially cheaper route. The question for the ESD is thiis: Do you want the best possible provider or a compromise because of finances? Jewett EMS provides the best amount of coverage for the district. Because of the distance of Buffalo from an appopriate hospital it can take hours during a call before an ambulance is back in service for 911 emergencies. If one private provider is serving the district, who will cover the area when that truck has to go to Palestine or Bryan transporting a patient? Chances are they will need mutual aid agreements with surrounding services (like Jewett) to pick up the slack. If you already have Jewett EMS as the provider in Buffalo, you potentially have 3 trucks that can be in service to cover the area. Not to mention an oncall crew that could bring in another truck. Another reason Jewett EMS is needed is because of the impact on the community. Do you realize that the majority of the employees with JEMS live in the communities that they serve? Or that JEMS put on an EMTBasic class that provided free education for members from the community to become EMT's? This is a service that CARES FOR THE COMMUNITY. Let's be honest - the only reason a private service would want ESD #4 would be to expand their company and pad their wallets. Buffalo is just another business play to expand a company - another name to place on a website. Jewett EMS provides a selfless service attitude with higher quality EMS. They hire people from the community, educate people in the community, live in the community that they serve, are active in community events and truly care about the area they are designated to protect. The list can go on and on about why JEMS is needed in ESD 4. The in house education rivals that of the best companies in East Texas - all for free. The experience level of the paramedics and their desire to help "raise" new EMT's. The relatively young ages of their ambulance fleet compared to the aging fleets of other private services. The attention given to patient care. Employees who are state certifi ed as EMS Instructors and are asked by TEEX to travel and train other areas of East Texas. So on and so on... I really do believe that it would be wise for the community of ESD 4 to reconsider their choice about an EMS provider. You have one of the most high quality options that other communities would kill for. Please do not choose to reject it because of cheaper bids. If you are going to be charging the maximum tax rate for the ESD then the people paying those taxes deserve the maximum quality of care being provided.
Thank you for your time. |
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