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Show Chief wants medics Dear Editor I'm Writing in response to the article, ar-ticle, "Chiefs Want Own Paramedics," which appeared June 27. As fire chief of Syracuse City, I feel the article was not objectively researched and opinions were misrepresented. I take issue with the following points: 1. Fire chiefs, county wide, were not all contacted as her article indicated. in-dicated. 2. She indicated "nearly every chief agreed" that individual departments could run an effective paramedic program for less money. The current cost of training, equipment equip-ment and vehicles needed for paramedic services makes an almost impossible situation for smaller communities. We would have to contract medical coverage from larger cities, resulting in increased in-creased costs for us. 3. In my experience in working with county medical emergencies, the paramedic response time, overall, has been consistent, acceptable accep-table and effective. 4. In defense of Chief Deputy K.D. Simpson being presented as a "vicious and very powerful man," he is responsible for maintaining the high operating standards that the paramedics exhibit. This requires assertiveness, knowledge and pro-, fessionalism. All of these qualities have been present in my dealings with Chief S impson. I support Sheriff Jones in saying, "If the existing system were broken up, the consistent standards of service ser-vice given county wide would be lost, and smaller cities wouldn't get adequate service. ' Thomas L. Jensen Syracuse Fire Department |
