5. FTSFSR 05-02-2012 - Laserfiche WebLink

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ITEM 5.1 °.).* City of El MEMORANDUM River Fire Department TO: Fire Service Task Force CC: Steve Dittbenner, Ambulance Coordinator Nate Dittbenner, Ambulance Chairperson FROM: T.John Cunningham, Fire Chief DATE: Monday, April 30, 2012 SUBJECT: Elk River Fire and Ambulance Service At the Thursday,April 26,2012,monthly meeting of the Elk River Fire Department (ERFD), firefighter and Elk River Fire and Ambulance Service (Ambulance Service) coordinator Steve Dittbenner expressed his concern over the perceived efforts to "separate" what is commonly referred to as the fire department and the ambulance service. He emphasized that, since 1957, the organization has been the "Elk River Fire and Ambulance Service" and that any attempt to separate the functional responsibilities (i.e. fire protection and ambulance service) would put a "wedge"in the organization(s). While I explained that the "Ambulance Service"is a separate entity from the city, he remained concerned over the future relationship of the ERFD and the Ambulance Service. Mr. Dittbenner left the meeting abruptly and I was not able to discuss his concerns in further detail. Background Discussion As you are aware, there exists a blurred relationship between the ERFD and the Ambulance Service. The ERFD exists as a tax-funded department of the city. The Ambulance Service is a not-for-profit organization governed by a board of directors whose primary purpose is to provide emergency medical care and transport service within its established primary service area (PSA). It receives no tax dollars from the city for operations. Approximately one half of our firefighters are also Ambulance Service emergency medical technicians (EMTs). The ambulance coordinator, an elected position, oversees the daily operations of the Ambulance Service. Neither the fire chief nor the city,have historically had oversight or operational involvement of the Ambulance Service. Both organizations presently share a common set of by-laws and operating guidelines which, as previously discussed,has led to operational confusion and blurred areas of responsibility and oversight. Over the past year, the Ambulance Service Board of Directors, at the urging of its legal council, Eve Borenstein,has worked to re-craft bylaws to clearly establish the organization and operational authority of the Ambulance Service,in effect separating the two PO PIKER B1 NATUREI