Brookhaven officials are continuing to fight for faster ambulance response times after the Georgia Department of Health gave DeKalb County six more months to address the city’s concerns.
It’s the latest development in a game of ping pong between Brookhaven, the state, and DeKalb County to take responsibility for poor ambulance response times.
For nearly five years, Brookhaven city officials have asked DeKalb County to take steps to improve ambulance response times. The city has assembled ad hoc committees and sent petitions to the Department of Public Health asking to establish its own EMS operations.
“This is no longer a matter of ‘if’ someone is going to lose their life over DeKalb County’s lack of response,” Brookhaven Mayor John Park said. “Now we are at a point where the question is ‘how many more will have to die’ before Brookhaven can take this service over.”
At a press conference in April, Park declared that “time is up” on DeKalb County’s poor ambulance response times in the city.
Brookhaven has made strides in keeping their residents safe by building a public safety building, committing funds for a real-time crime center, adding innovative tools like Live911, and housing an ambulance hub on Buford Highway. But since EMS services are provided by DeKalb County, the city cannot make response times faster.
“Having ambulances arrive in no more than the required 12 minutes for the most dire emergencies remains a matter of life and death, not only in Brookhaven, but in all of DeKalb County,” said Brookhaven Communications Director Burke Brennan.
In years prior, Brookhaven City Manager Christian Sigman has suggested that DeKalb County allow Brookhaven to either establish its own EMS or enforce performance standards. The state denied the request. Brookhaven moved forward in April with a petition to the state to sidestep DeKalb’s ambulance services contract with American Medical Rescue.
In November, the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) committee delayed the process, giving DeKalb County six months to address Brookhaven’s concerns.
“City management has been tracking DeKalb County EMS delivery since the renewal of the American Medical Rescue contract in early 2020. GDH’s decision is absolutely a step in the right direction,” said Brennan.
DeKalb officials may soon vote on extending the AMR contract through June 30, 2026, and providing an annual subsidy payment in the amount of $4.9 million. The item is being recommended by the Public Safety Committee, and is scheduled to be discussed by the DeKalb Board of Commissioners on Tuesday, Dec. 17.