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Forney resident urges city control of EMS provider, cites delayed ambulance responses and hiring concerns
Summary
During open forum, resident Millionaire Williams urged the Forney City Council to select an EMS provider based in Forney, citing personal medical emergency experience and statistics about ambulance responses and cancellations that she said should prompt local control and hiring of Forney-based EMS staff.
Millionaire Williams told the Forney City Council during the public comment period that she survived a medical emergency and that the experience convinced her the city should exercise local control over emergency medical services.
Williams, who gave her address as 1307 Buttermere Street, said her husband made "over 30 desperate calls" on her behalf during a prolonged medical crisis and that she spent seven months recovering. She said the episode led her to question the timeliness and local accountability of EMS providers serving Forney.
"What we like, Forney, is we'd like to have a local control and influence over our EMS providers being based here," Williams said. She asked that the city favor EMS providers who hire people who live and work in Forney and who will participate in the community.
Williams cited statistics during her remarks: that 46 percent of 911 calls for medical needs do not result in transport by ambulance, and that firefighters or law enforcement cancel 38 percent of ambulance responses before arrival; she contrasted those numbers with what she called a national average of 13.4 percent.
She asked council to consider whether local EMS contracts serve the community's best interests or whether providers are operating under larger corporate plans that extend beyond Forney. Williams offered to provide medical records and said she would return to speak again if needed.
Why it matters: Decisions about EMS providers and contract terms can affect ambulance response times, hiring practices and local accountability for emergency medical care. Williams requested that council consider community-based providers and local hiring preferences.
What's next: Williams requested further discussion with city officials; no council action on EMS was recorded in the transcript.
