Why is the Ambulance Service Director the only depatrment head appointed not elected?
Maybe someone needs to be elected that knows how to run the place. Or maybe we should just give the ambulance service to its employees, allowing them to run it like any other ordinary business. (See my comments regarding the Taj Mahal school office building for the details of this sort of privatization.)
posted by J. Kendrick McPeters | 11:32 AM
59 Comments:
can ya say good ol boys
Someone needs to be put in there that is more business minded and knows how to run a business.
the ambulance service was started in 1972. It has been run and managed as a well run business over the years,however for the past two years there seems to be a real big problem with the director and office manager knowing what they are doing. Compare past records and audits with most recent ones
To Anonymous-Tuesday, June 20, 2006 9:50:08 PM
Would you please fill us in regarding the director and office manager?
Lets look at what jobs the director should be taking care of.Over the years,past directors made the yearly budget,presented it to the committe, and approved by the commission had to operate within that budget throughout the year.The director has to look at money available and use it for want is needed the most,such as having money for fuel,not buying expensive raincoats,new patches, and shirts.Also in past,things such as salary,weekly time,vacation,sick time,bills,etc were done by the director. Now being done by office personel,who should be using their time to bill and collect.What does the present director do with his time.He can be seen riding around in his car,which past director didn't have to take home, going home,taking his kid to school,shoping at walmart after hours,going to church in the car,visiting out of town hospitals and funeral homes.Maybe the commissoners should look at this,but has the fine county ext giving him permission for doing what see wants.Back to the office manager, there is software in place for billing as well as writeoff.Perhaps she just don't know how to use,and the director can't show how to use it.Maybe if she was not doing the jobs the director should be doing then she would have time to spend on her job and the money would be collected and figures would be correct.Maybe this should be looked at also
it sounds to me like you know what you're talking about, anonymous june 21. except you forgot about the new cot and the new couches. of which came from extra money in the budget that would've just went to some other department, and we all know when you need medical attention that you can just call the highway department or a teacher. as far as the raincoats, patches and shirts, they needed them. at least with the new shirts they don't look like ice cream truck drivers or security guards. how do you know who does the payroll over there? and what's it matter to you anyway? what do you do, follow the director around all the time?
They should look like ice cream drivers, they drive a ice cream truck.
so you're saying the people there are ice cream truck drivers??? i don't think that's the reason why they spent their time and money going to school. the next time you or one of your family or friends calls 911, just remember that it's gonna be the so called ice cream truck drivers that give up so much of their time to come after you. that's what's wrong now, no respect for them.
they are paid well for their time.
let them carry you and you will see.
Friday,June23,2006,10:04:58 PM
The new power cot is nice. Itis a cot that is designed for use on certain patients and not for every day use. There probably could have been a new regular cot for every ambulance for the price of the one new cot.If there is so much extra money sitting in the bugdet,why has there been money added to the budget to cover such purchases.It doesn't sound like you know just how the county budget system works.If a person needs an ambulance,you should be thinking more about having a good cot to put them on and a good ambulance to transport them in instead of what kind of clothes there are wearing
Isn't the new "power cot" one that is to be used for over-weight patients so that EMTs don't hurt themselves and file for workmen's comp? And doesn't Griggs have it to where the county (we tax payers) reimburses the workers their for their schools fees? Where else do we reimburse for getting some training? Everyone else pays their own school fees, usually for years after getting a student loan. It has only been two years since Griggs was saying Giles ambulance workers were the lowest paid in the area, now he's saying we are one of the highest and attracting people from other counties. Then we go and pay their training fees and they leave to work in their county of residence. This practice needs to stop. Griggs seems to have done a snow job on the commissioners. What he asks for he gets.
umm well have you looked at the sheriff's dept? i do think they pay for all the training of their officers. getting a higher training benefits not only the employee, but it does benefit the county also. yes the new cot is for bigger people so the emt's don't get hurt and go out, then get paid by the county anyway for being on workmans comp. it's about time for new uniforms over there, those 30 year old shirts. they get new uniforms anyway, so why can't they switch when it's time for new ones?
Am I wrong? I thought people applying for law enforcement jobs had to have already passed some kind of test and/or training. Where does the police academy come into this?
well most of the police dept full timers come from the reserve officer program, most of the sheriff dept officers come from being jailers first, then are sent to the police academy by the pd or sheriff's dept, fully paid for by either the city ot county. and why is everyone down on the ambulance service so hard anyways? it does bring in a revenue.
to all anonymous above
I need help from the law enforcement people on this, are the county and city not reimbursed by the state for academy and yearly training in some way.If this is so, then statements made by Mr. Griggs in several of his meeting has not been exactly true. Is there not also reimbursment for full time firefights in the form of a yearly check from the state,maybe not in Pulaski but in larger departments
what kind of statements were made by mr. griggs that were not true? who cares what they do in the big cities, this isn't a big city is it? and what does all this have to do with the original topic of this blog?
well 1st off, the ambulance service does need new cots for every unit. they also need new units also. every time you drive by the mechanic shop on north end there is one sitting there. but that seems to be the 1st thing to go when money needs to be cut from budget. but yet the highway dept is riding around in those new dump trucks.
For those of you that are so criticall and negative toward the ambulance service need to back up and look at reality. The people of the Giles County Ambulance Service respond to you at your worst day. Those that work for EMS know and understand that every day is a bad day for someone even their own family or someone they love and care for that lives in this community but they are wiling and have a calling to respond and care for those stricken by a heart attack or traumatically injured in a wreck. The skills required to provide advanced life saving procedure aren't cheap and all have paid there own way. Few classes are "paid for" and those that are, are required by the state to maintain the licensures held. These people do not make "big money" as some believe and the reason they have chosen EMS as a career is not about money but they also feel that they should be rewarded for their dedication an skill as equally as any other person does in their career. How many people in Giles County do you know have the knowledge to treat a heart that has stopped beating or place a tube down the airways of those that have stopped breathing or establish an I.V. that provides life saving fluids and medications... and keep in mind that these procedures are not performed in a clean ER environment but on the roadside in the dark or in a household full of crying pleading family members desperate with hope that their loved ones will live.As far as training goes wouldn't you rather have a highly trained person responding to your darkest hour than one that has minimal or no training because it saved the county a few dollars. Can you really put a price tag on a loved ones life.
Uniforms....well they do need clothes to wear and it's not like they are shopping at Bloomingdale's. The uniforms have to stand up to blood, fuel, vomit, oil, rips and tears that occur when these employees are pulling a Giles County citizen out of a mangled car on a busy interstate or highway where they need to be visible so people in the cars passing at 60 MPH won't hit them.
I can go on and on but until you walk a day in their shoes you shouldn't try to demonize them but should be thankfull that Giles County has compitant, caring well trained people willing to do what most run away from. They need your respect and support not unwarrented and inaccurate criticisms.
It is OK to analize and have CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM of the management but respect the employees and what they do.
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!
The two groups of people who have my undivided appreciation are the members of the Rescue Squad and the Ambulance Service.
Both of the groups are filled with angles. they are unselfish in their careing towards others.
the commission should listen the the head of both of these departments. WHY?
if we have a schedule to rotate the ambulances we would not have breakdowns. we could get state of the art units that will allow the EMS people to provide YOU with life saving care. for those commissioneres who do not thinck that new ambulances are needed, i hope you are never in need of their help.
the county Fire and Rescue Squad needs new trucks BADLY!!!! why do you think our fire insurance rates are high? we have fire trucks that are over 40 years old still in service!!!!
Tell your commissioners that we need new fire pumpers, tankers and brush trucks maybe we can raise our insurance rating and lower our insurance permiums?
any one want too dispute this?
TC Supporter
to june 30, 2006. you need a big THANK YOU like said above. it's nice to know there are people that do appreciate what the EMS does.
Would like to know:
How many units do we have?
Are they all fully equipped as ambulances or are any not fully equipped but used for route trips to hospital?
Are any ambulances set aside in case they are needed for nursing home trip?
there are 3 24 hour staffed units there everyday. one is there mon-fri 8-4 for the nursing home trips.
there are 3 ambulances that run 24-7 and are ALS (advanced life support) which means they have a Paramedic on board. There is also 1 that is BLS (basic life support) which means it has 2 EMT-IV's on board, that runs M-F 8-4. There are a total of 5 ambulances that can be staffed as ALS units when the other 3 ALS units are out on other emergencies.
it seems to be so many problems at the ambulance service. why does mrs vanzant not do anything to correct these problems? does she know about them? does mr gordon know about the problems? does he have any plans for them?
anonymous Wednesday, July 05, 2006 7:15:54 PM
vazant caused the problems, that if the problem.
JAT says:
The current Ambulance Director has been able to turn this "service" into a money maker for the County.
Don't any of you realize that the Ambulance Service now (for the first time in its history - I believe) is bringing in more money that it costs to operate?
Name another county or municipal (non tax collecting)department that is a money maker? JAT
JAT,
You might want to look a little deeper and back a few years,It has happened before here and in several other counties
Not only has the Ambulance Service brought in more money than it costs to operate it has also put a sub station in the south end of the county (Elkton) that cuts down response times from 20min. to 5-7min. I'm sure to those that when minutes count this is a great asset to the county and Mrs.Vanzant made that happen and further more the previous directors were totally against sub stations. It would be a wonderfull thing if the whole county could rest easier with shorter response times by putting a sub station in Lynville, Minor hill and the Campbellsville area. This is something she would support if the commision would.
The ambulance service should be completely self-sufficient butI believe there is a current difference of approximately $250,000.
and where did you get that information and when?
During this year's budget process. Look at revenue versus expenditures. If you are suggesting the service is self-sufficient now,please post the figures. One writer above calls the service "a money maker", this is misleading.
anonymous July7,2006 10:16:23
To start the Elkton station,were not the ambulance and crews,moved from the Pulaski station,which would mean there was no increase in salary or new ambulance expense.It has been said in newspaper and on radio that the city of Elkton were providing the rest.It would be a wounderful thing to have stations in other parts of the county,but you can't remove all of the units from Pulaski.That would mean adding more people and ambulance and equipment which is going to add a lot more to the budget.Your comment on response time-how long does it take to get from Elkton to say Campbellsville and what research and facts do you have to show past directors were against substations and when
What I saw was that the ambulance service was 100,000 in the green this year whether it happened occasionally in the past doesn't negate the fact that it was in the green this year.
And yes part of the above comment is ture. The Ambulance Director and the mayor worked out a comprimise so that the Elkton community could benefit from shorter responce times. I'm sure these agreements and arrangements could be done elswhere. Yes more staff would need to be hired but In my opinion the benefits outweigh the small increase, especially since they operated with a money surplus this year.
I don't know the response time to Campbellsville. I only asked about the Elkton area but I'll find out and get back to you. I have no written facts about the other Directors being against substations but I have heard from several people that they were approached about it and they didn't want to discuss it, plus the substation was put into service about 2 years after Mr. Griggs became Director...so to me if the prior Directors wanted substations the talks would have already been in the works for the substations and the Elkton station would have been there alot sooner.
You were requested to post the figures of income and expenses, but instead you responded you "saw" the ambulance service was $100,000 "in the green". That tells us nothing. Again, request you publish figures.
I'm going back to the Ambulance service in the next day or two to get a coy and I will post it. Didn't want you to think I disapeared.
copy not coy sorry
And please get a copy for the ambulance committee and budget committee because they must not be looking at the same figures as you are and it has been a subject with them for years.
I'm trying to figure out how to transfer this copy I have to this comment page. If it doesn't come through correctly ANYONE can go by the ambulance service and talk to Mr. Griggs or just get a copy a I did. I transferred it but I can't figure out how to make it look like the page I'm looking at. TO make my point The first line has "Total expenses" This year as 1,161,221.17 and list cash income "This year" as 1,314833.78 which means they made more than they used to a total of 153,612.68.
I'm not trying to be "coy" I'm just trying to provide information that any and all have access to. I do apologize that I can't get it to look right but if you want a copy for yourself ask for the june 2006 period 12 operations report.
07/03/2006 GILES COUNTY AMBULANCE SERVICE Page 2
June 2006 Period 12 Operations Report
This Year Last Year
Month Year To Date Month Year To Date
Total Expenses:
102,087.27 1,161,221.17 131,285.69 1,131,516.47
Total Transports:
Cash Income:
365 4373 357 4175
164,380.41 l,3l4,833.78 91,900.01 1,218,230.84
Total Disc. & W/O:
90,122.10 846,579.49 101,397.01 1,319,875.18
Total Charges:
A/RBalance:
183,666.00 2,271,580.50 183,628.50 2,212,913.50
-70,836.51 567,195.24 -9,668.52 457,028.01
Cost Per Call:
279.69 265.54 367.74 271.02
Cash Per Call:
450.35 300.67 257.42 291.79
Collection Rate:
89.49 57.88 50.04 55.05
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so it sounds to me that they did make a little money, huh.
anonymous Thursday,July 13,2006 12:31:30 PM
Can you explain how these figures can be so good with a collection rate of 55.05
The summary sheet that was posted July 13 does not include the benefits paid for the ambulance service employees nor does it include the employee insurance. The service falls short covering itself by approx $200,000.
Here we go with the employee benefits again. Maybe if you want to save some money, look at what the service is paying certain people to be there but has no actual job.
anonymous Monday,July17,2006 12:15:59 PM
Can you tell us more about"paying certain people to be there but has no actual job".
It's been a while since more comments have been made.Could the last question have maybe stepped on some toes?
Kathey Bassham and Merry Merle Sigmon are appointed also.
so whats this got to do with the ambulance service and the way it is run?
Nothing, but it does say that the ambulance service director is not really the only dept. head that is appointed. That was the original topic of discussion, wasn't it.
The EDC Director is appointed and not voted on either it is also just given to whom ever they please-meaning the mayor-without looking to or for anyone else-retirement town here we come-good bye industry, good bye jobs, hello unemployment rate then good bye younger folks.
I am new to this blog, so would you please tell when the Mayor made the statement about Giles County becoming a retirement community?
Can't give an exact date but ask anyone and they can tell you he has made the comment. He seems to be doing a good job of it also. The younger generation is having to leave Giles county for jobs that pay good because dan speer will not let companies that come in here pay higher than he wants them to. its fact
Thanks for your answer. How can he control the wages of a company that does locate here?
If they do not pay what he says he will not let them have the land necessary to move here. now that he is the EDC director he has even more power over these things. When Home Depot moved in they wanted to pay more but if you ask what people make out there I believe is is around $8.00. I was told by someone at the meeting with Home Depot Representatives that he told them they could not pay higher.
Why would he do that and do you really know this to be true?
So he can keep control of Giles County. Keep the wages down control the people. He wants Pulaski to be a retirement town. I have been told this by several people one of whom was at this meeting.
By the way .... the Ambulance Service Director is not the only department head who is appointed and not elected
The Director of schools is also appointed not elected and see what kind of mess we have there.
What about the Election Office; Clerk and Master; and Solid Waste? I think they are also appointed. They need elected competition for these jobs.
Why would you to elect an official to run the ambulance service when you might get someone in there not trained or qualified to do the job? The fact is tha Mr. Griggs is doing a great job and he has gotten flack for doing what he thinks is right....We now have more employees for the service and have better coverage also. Those who talk only think they know what is going on. I have a suggestion.....LET THE GOOD PEOPLE ON OUR AMBULANCE COMMITTEE COME RIDE OUT WITH US. That is in all caps because I'm certain some those reading this will not understand. I highly doubt this will occur because they feel like they know it all about EMS. They should come stay an entire shift and get up when we do. Don't get me wrong we have a few people on there that know about EMS but only and I stress this.....ONLY A FEW!!!!! Come on we will be waiting.....
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