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Shreveport, La., residents fight EMS proposal

NewsChannel6.tv (Louisiana)

Southeast Shreveport residents say a city proposal designed to cut down emergency medic response time could have a negative effect on their communities. Tempers flared Monday night as residents brought their frustrations to Shreveport Fire Dept. Chief Kelvin Cochran.

They spoke out against a plan to move their nearest medic unit, located at a fire station on Ellerbe Rd. to a Cedar Grove station, something they belive could put their lives in jeapordy. “It`s something that we`ve come accustomed to having,” Curtis Brice, a St. Charles Place resident, says “now they want to take it from us and deprive us of the coverage we`ve had before.”

The move is part of a plan to decrease response time throughout Shreveport, especially in the city`s most concentrated areas. Cochran says Southeast Shreveport`s emergency response time won`t be impacted. “THE A.L.S. response time will be even more consistent,” Cochran said. Cochran also announced that Mayor Keith Hightower has pledged to buy a ninth medic unit to serve Shreveport.

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