BENTONVILLE — Benton County officials voted unanimously to lend their support to a merger between the Northeast Benton County Fire Department and the Volunteer Ambulance Service of Northeast Benton County on Tuesday.
The Committee of 13 voted to allow county attorney George Spence to help the two not-for-profit groups in Garfield with the proposed merger.
“This would be a benefit to the county as a whole to solve the problems with the ambulance service out there,” Spence said.
Those problems were outlined by Henry Gresham, a Garfield residen at the beginning of the meeting. They include the financial viability of the ambulance service and its failure to become an advanced life support service.
VAS is a basic life support ambulance service which means the ambulance can deliver patients to hospitals, respond to calls and perform CPR. The service cannot administer drugs and does not have a defibrillator.
There is an advance ambulance service in Garfield called TLC. Benton County Emergency Services does not dispatch calls to that ambulance service.
Gresham voiced frustration about the county’s decision to continue to dispatch to VAS instead of the TLC ambulance service.
“I find it deplorable that Benton County Emergency Services does not even recognize that we now have a fully functional advanced life support ambulance service in operation in our area,” Gresham said.
“It is unconscionable that they are not in the 911 dispatch system for incidents when (advanced life support) is required and TLC is available. This is an issue that the county government needs to remedy immediately,” Gresham said.
Justice of the Peace Tawnya Lewis said she brought all of the problems to the attention of Spence when she began receiving phone calls from constituents.
Spence said he believed the proposed merger between VAS and NEBCO will solve some of the problems the northeast portion of Benton County is facing with ambulance service.
Spence also said he plans to bring an ordinance proposal before the Quorum Court to address any other issues with the ambulance service soon.
Judith Vining of Garfiled said she was happy with the committee’s decision to help with the merger.
Vining said she hopes the goal will be to get VAS certified in advance life support.
“This is a step in the right direction. At least we are getting our voices heard,” Vining said.
Kathy Linden of Garfield said residents who live in the area have been waiting for an advance life support service since they passed a referendum two years ago.
Under the referendum, property owners pay $40 per year extra on their taxes for the ambulance service.
“We want the best for our community and we are worried that something drastic is going to happen,” Linden said. “We are worried.”