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Fire chief warns uncoordinated volunteer EMS response risks lives, urges 911-first policy
Summary
University Heights Fire Chief Perko told the City Council that volunteer EMS operations by Hatzalah Cleveland have created delays, communication gaps and unclear medical oversight; he urged residents to call 911 first and asked council to consider legislation and formal agreements to integrate volunteer responders into the 911 system.
Fire Chief Perko told the University Heights City Council on June 16 that operational problems from a volunteer ambulance service operating in the city have produced “delays in advanced care” and a risk to public safety.
Perko said volunteers from Hatzalah Cleveland began operations in the city in January and that incidents since then, including one on April 28, show the risk of a parallel, non-911 dispatch process. “In one recent tragedy on April 28 of this year, a person called Hatzalah’s number instead of 911 … volunteers arrived almost two hours later and only then was 911 finally contacted,” Perko said. He added, “We cannot say for certain that a faster 911 call would have changed the outcome, but the delay in activating 911 meant…
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