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Lake EMS, the ambulance service in Lake County, was recently found to be reporting incorrect response times of ambulances. A practice that they had apparently been using for years was brought to light recently by the Daily Sun. The Daily Sun reported on Friday, March 23rd, that Lake EMS was failing to report the complete response time when responding to a call when one ambulance responds, then another one becomes available closer. "For one example, if an ambulance responded to a call at 11:05, but was canceled because a closer ambulance came available at 11:10, and got to the scene at 11:15, the program would report a five-minute response time as opposed to 10 minutes that elapsed from the time the first ambulance responded." Lake EMS claims this is the case in about 4.5% of their calls, or close to a couple thousand calls. They are vowing to go back and correct the last 4 months of reporting.
This marks yet another questionable practice by the management of this company. Just last year, then Executive Director Jim Judge resigned over controversy of failing to report $300,000 in revenue and fabricating rates surrounding agencies were charging when asked by the Lake EMS board.
"We feel accurate response reporting is crucial. The Paramedics and EMT's on the ambulances are running ragged with their high call volume already. With accurate reporting, it would show just how much the current ambulance system is stretched thin. Right now, there are 18 ambulances on the road during the day and only 11 ambulances on the road at night. 11 ambulances covering roughly 1,100 square miles. You can imagine how busy they stay, " officials from Local 3990 report. " Lake EMS relies HEAVILY on the 44 fire trucks around the county that are staffed 24 hours a day with dual certified firefighter's that are also paramedics and EMTs, for first medical response to the scene. "It is time to look at new ways to manage this ambulance system".
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