Naples Daily News
BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. — Bonita Springs is one step closer to having its fire district also run ambulance services.
District fire commissioners approved a measure this past week allowing fire officials to move forward with their quest to take over hospital transport services from Lee County EMS.
Bonita fire officials have been exploring the idea of adding ambulance service to the district for years and more seriously in recent months.
The idea was that a district-run transport service could provide a better response to Bonita’s emergency patients.
A recent report, compiled by Assistant Fire Chief Ken Craft, concluded a Bonita-based EMS transport service could offer patients quicker response times and continuity of service for patients. The plan also may lead to fewer trucks responding to an emergency scene, Craft said.
The approval by Bonita fire commissioners gives the plan momentum, but the most difficult steps for district-run ambulances may still be ahead.
The Bonita Springs fire district’s recent “conceptual proposal” to its elected commissioners estimated high start-up costs - nearly $1.3 million - with potential long-term savings.
The trade-off is the district would have to pay now for new trucks, equipment and permits - but it could start collecting fees from transport patients as an added revenue stream in the long run.
The report also noted future tax revenue uncertainty poses a problem.
If tax revenues drop in the district, it could spell trouble for a fledgling ambulance program.
Lehigh Acres is one of two Lee County fire districts that run fire-based emergency transport; the other is Fort Myers Beach.
Due to budget shortages based on falling tax revenues, Lehigh Acres Fire District has been faced with the possibility of giving ambulance services back to county government.
Budget issues will need to be addressed, Craft said, but for now the district is moving forward one step at a time.
The next move is for the district to submit an application of need to the county. That application will be reviewed by Lee County Public Safety - the department that runs county EMS - and will focus on the public safety concerns about a district-run EMS program. Approval will ultimately rest on county commissioners.
Officials in Lee County Public Safety don’t hesitate to say that Bonita Springs already is receiving adequate ambulance service.
Deputy Director Kim Dickerson said she would withhold comment on the plan until she sees the application.
However, she did express concern that the idea of fire-run EMS could be a potential “duplication of services.”
But Dickerson said the department’s focus when reviewing Bonita’s ambulance plan would be patient health and not politics.
“The top priority is public safety and providing the citizens with professional and clinically competent emergency medical services,” she said, explaining the department would analyze whether Bonita Fire Rescue’s proposal could meet or exceed service levels.
Craft said the district will have a strong case for being able to increase the service level in its district.
In the district’s study, the fire department reported that Bonita’s fire-rescue workers typically arrive and give treatment to emergency patients “prior to the arrival of (a Lee County) transport unit.”
That’s because the county offers 2.5 ambulances to Bonita, Craft said. The district is considering having four “dual-response” trucks that could serve as both fire-response vehicles and advanced life support transport.
A fire-based ambulance service actually would decrease a duplication of services, Craft argued, because it could mean one less truck responding to an emergency.
Currently, district fire-rescue trucks and county ambulances both respond to serious medical emergencies; but only Lee County EMS can transport patients.
“It’s a benefit for a resident of Bonita and for visitors,” Craft said.
After the public safety review, the application will be sent to county commissioners.
When asked if he anticipated the proposal being accepted, Craft was cautious about claiming victory too early.
“It’s going to be interesting,” he said. “You wouldn’t think it would be much of an issue because we’re expanding operations to the community.”
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