Due to the recent change in Sumter County with their EMS transports, Lake County has to revise the ambulance system (Sumter County Commissioners voted to oust Lake Sumter EMS by a vote of 5 to 0).  In almost every county surrounding Lake County, and across the nation, the Fire Rescue division has taken over the ambulance service. By moving under the Fire Rescue division, millions of dollars are freed up to put more ambulances on the road. Most of these ambulances will be staffed with dual certified firefighter EMTS & firefighter medics. All of Lake County Fire Rescue's field personnel are already certified EMTS & Paramedics, as well as being firefighters. You receive more for your money when you cross train like this. In addition, the current EMS system has a high number of highly paid administrative positions. By eliminating this duplication of administration, and allowing the qualified fire chiefs to run the EMS system, millions of dollars are freed up to put more ambulances on the road with certified people. Why pay a bunch of paramedics a high salary to sit in an office, and cut ambulances off the road?

The current proposal by Jim Judge and Lake EMS will reduce the number of full time ambulances at night to only 11 ambulances. They are cutting 46% of the field medics positions and 37% of the field EMT positions, and only 3 administrative positions (Lake EMS proposal LCBOCC Meeting July 12, 2011) Lake County currently has 17 full time ambulances with 5 additional "day trucks". This irresponsible management of transports and budget is going to make Lake County citizens suffer and experience a huge service cut! While we don't want to see anyone laid off in Lake County, if lay off's must occur, they should be from non emergent duplicated administrative positions, not field workers running emergency calls.

Lake County Fire Rescue has a lean administration and have been great stewards of the tax dollars allocated to the department. Let them manage the ambulances too and the citizens of Lake County will reap a variety of benefits from this change.

Presently, these local surrounding fire departments use "fire based" EMS transports: Orange County, Orlando Fire, Seminole County, Polk County, Osceola County, Volusia County, Brevard County, Sanford Fire, Marion County Fire, Alachua County Fire, and many more. Why? Because it makes sense and saves money! Please take a minute to send this email below to your county commissioners urging them to go to fire based EMS!

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