Claremont Needs Its Own Paramedic Unit

For 15 months, we have been pleading with the county Fire Protection District to station a paramedic squad in Claremont. We fear that (district) representatives and Supervisor Pete Schabarum do not share our concern.

In November, 1987, we began asking the district to provide Claremont with a paramedic unit. But district officials feel they are meeting their commitment by providing a paramedic unit that is stationed in San Dimas (Times, Feb. 19).

Response times in Claremont are as high as 20 minutes. If the squad based in San Dimas is busy, our residents must wait for a squad to respond from Glendora.

In an effort to supplement the county service, the City Council recently authorized an agreement with a private firm, Medic-1. Medic-1 already provides ambulance service in the city and has pledged to respond to any paramedic call within our city, at any time of day, within five minutes.

To our dismay, county officials have again erected a stone wall in our path. They say that Medic-1 cannot provide the service until the county Department of Health Services authorizes it to interact with local hospitals. Health officials say they will not give such authorization unless the fire district approves. Fire district representatives have threatened litigation if city staff proceeds to implement the policy set by the council. Nonetheless, we will proceed as necessary.

This should not be a dispute over money. The district’s operating budget is funded through a portion of property taxes on the assessed value of land in the city. Residents here pay the same rates as all other county residents. The district’s allocation will not be reduced if the city is allowed to implement the agreement with Medic-1.

The council has repeatedly asked fire district officials to state their objections to private paramedic services. Deputy Fire Chief James Hunt said it would compromise the district’s ability to deliver services to other cities. We have yet to decipher that response.

This dispute is a question of fairness. Of all the cities east of the 605 Freeway that contract with the district for fire protection services, only Claremont (and Irwindale, with a population of 1,000) do not have a paramedic squad stationed within their boundaries.

Why is Claremont penalized? Can we really tolerate a 20-minute response time?

Our council has called for the agreement with Medic-1 to be initiated on March 1. In the absence of political pressure, we fear the county will continue to drag its feet. We hope our residents, and residents in our neighboring communities, will raise their voices with ours in sustaining the plea.

Schabarum may be reached by letter at the Hall of Administration, 500 W. Temple St., Los Angeles, Calif. 90012. We are also appealing to the county’s Emergency Medical Services Commission on March 15. Letters may be sent to 313 N. Figueroa, Los Angeles, Calif. 90012.

GLENN D. SOUTHARD

Claremont City Manager

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