By Rachel Engel
FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Documents obtained by a local news station reveal the city’s ambulance provider was unable to respond to hundreds of emergency calls over the last year.
Documents from a public records request revealed that Three Rivers Ambulance Authority was unable to respond to 813 calls made between July 2020 and July 2021, ABC 21 reported. Many of those calls were responded to by crews from New Haven and Hoagland.
On Tuesday, TRAA leaders met with members of Fort Wayne City Council to discuss the agency’s issues. Agency leadership had previously stated that a shortage of paramedics was the reason for the lack of availability. However, council members were critical of leadership’s attempts to mitigate the issues.
“You all are looking terrible,” Russ Jehl, a city councilor, said during the meeting. “You are putting the needs and lives of people lower than your personal needs. It’s disgusting. It’s not okay.”
Anonymous employees who spoke with ABC 21 said the culture within TRAA is one of fear.
“One of the biggest concerns people have with coming forward is retaliation,” one employee said.
TRAA leaders will likely meet with the city council again in the coming weeks, ABC 21 reported.