In response to increasingly slow emergency service call times, the Dunwoody City Council approved a $ 566,000 annual contract for a designated ambulance to enhance service within the city.
During the Oct. 30 city council meeting, Dunwoody Police Chief Billy Grogan said the city and DeKalb County have finalized an agreement that will dedicate an emergency transport vehicle that will service Dunwoody from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day. The ambulance will be provided by American Medical Response (AMR).
“Staff believes directly contracting with DeKalb County and AMR for one ALS [Advanced Life Support] ambulance staffed – with a Paramedic and EMT operating 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day will make a significant impact on response times and the level of service being provided to the citizens of Dunwoody,” a memo regarding the expenditure said. “DeKalb County officials have assured staff that this agreement with AMR will not affect the MOU [Memorandum of Understanding] DeKalb County has with Dunwoody, or the number of ambulances currently assigned to the city of Dunwoody.”
Grogan said that the ambulance would be funded using American Rescue Plan funding, and added that a monthly report will be generated “to see if this service has a positive effect.”
At the Oct. 30 meeting, several city council members related personal stories about slow response times. Councilwoman Stacey Harris recounted a recent incident wherein a colleague had a medical emergency where she was non-responsive and emergency vehicles reported to the scene 30 minutes later. She also questioned why a fire truck, which is staffed by EMTs, was never dispatched to the scene.
Dunwoody Mayor Lynn Deutsch also discussed several incidents in which she had personal knowledge of slow response times, including one that had happened the day of the meeting wherein a person who was suffering a medical emergency allegedly waited more than an hour for a response vehicle. DeKalb Fire Chief Darnell Fullum said his department is investigating several of the incidents the council members recounted.
“I’m concerned that this model is not working as well as it used to,” Deutsch said. “Something is off and I don’t know why it’s happening.”
Fullum said that after the agreement is signed, the fire department will meet with Dunwoody officials “to fine-tune the process.” Several council members indicated that they were concerned about whether the expenditure would be a true fix for the response-time issue.
The council approved the expenditure for a year, with an option to renew the service if it is determined to decrease response times.