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Mayor tells council outside EMS response led to delay; four cities preparing uniform legislation
Summary
Mayor Michael Brennan reported a April 28 incident in which a non‑affiliated EMS group responded to a medical emergency, and said Cleveland‑area mayors are preparing uniform legislation to require local registration and licensure of outside ambulance groups.
Mayor Michael Brennan told the University Heights City Council that an April 28 medical emergency was worsened after a neighbor called Hatzalah Cleveland instead of dialing 911, delaying municipal Advanced Life Support (ALS) care.
The mayor read a memo from Chief Perko describing the incident: municipal responders were bypassed; Hatzalah Cleveland left the patient on scene without transport; University Heights Fire Department was called more than two hours later; the patient’s condition deteriorated and was later determined by the receiving hospital to have a poor prognosis. The mayor said, quoting the memo, that the incident “represents a profound breach of public trust and operational integrity.”
Brennan said the mayors and public-safety chiefs of Cleveland Heights, Shaker Heights, South Euclid and University Heights have met — and are preparing uniform legislation for their city councils that would set standards, require local registration and licensure, and establish penalties for operating outside those standards. Brennan said that Cleveland had not met with the group. He urged residents: “In the meantime, your best protection is to call 911 in the event of a medical emergency.”
Why it matters: the mayor framed the episode as a coordination and regulatory gap that can directly affect patient outcomes and public trust in emergency response. Proposed regional legislation would aim to require local registration/licensure and penalties for non‑compliant operations.
Next steps: the regional group will draft model legislation for consideration by the four councils. No council vote occurred Tuesday; the mayor asked the council to be aware and indicated staff will pursue uniform regulatory language for future council consideration.
