Stage set for Silver Lake rescue services issue to be settled tonight

sl-rescue-squad-backAn issue that has been dominating local government in Silver Lake, prompting yard signs and overflowing meetings at times, might be settled Wednesday night.

Two agenda items regarding contracting for rescue services are on the Silver Lake Village Board agenda Wednesday night.

One item is consideration of an agreement with Salem Fire/Rescue to provide medical transport services to Silver Lake.

The very next item is a proposed contract with Silver Lake Rescue Squad Inc, for continuation of emergency medical services provided to the village since the 1970s by the independent corporation.

Silver Lake has been considering discontinuing its long-standing contract with Silver Lake Rescue Inc. in favor of an arrangement with Salem Fire/Rescue for EMS with Silver Lake Fire Department firefighters acting as first responders on medical calls. Silver Lake Rescue is a free standing entity while the Silver Lake Fire Department is part of the village government. The village has been paying Silver Lake Rescue $27,000 a year for its services. In theory, the agreement with Salem could let Silver Lake keep the $27,000 it now pays to Silver Lake Rescue to bolster fire department funds. Proponents of that plan said the fire department is in need of attention and funding or it might cease to exist in a few years time. Without its own department, insurance rates would likely increase for village residents.

The board rejected an agreement with Salem by a 4 to 2 vote at a well-attended special meeting Dec. 12 at Riverview School. However, that outcome might be quite different this time around due to a couple of factors.

Among the majority of votes on Dec. 12 rejecting the Salem agreement was Trustee Sue Gerber. But Gerber might not be voting on the rescue issue Wednesday night after she was found last week by the Village Ethics Commission to be in violation of the village’s ethics ordinance by participating in discussion and votes regarding Silver Lake Rescue Squad Inc. contracts because her son is president of that organization. A related complaint against Trustees David Snow and Mike Decker was thrown out by the Ethics Commission.

If Gerber had not voted at that special meeting, the Salem agreement may well have passed. Another of the votes against the Salem agreement on Dec. 12 was cast by village President Jeff Albrecht. But after the meeting, Albrecht — who favored the Salem agreement — said he voted against in order to be with the majority and therefore in the position to ask for a reconsideration of the vote. If Albrecht had instead voted his preference, and Gerber had not voted, the Salem agreement likely would have passed 3-2 (Trustee Soti Wilber was absent Dec. 12).

Albrecht and Gerber are running against each other in the April village president election.

Meanwhile, Silver Lake Rescue has offered a new agreement with lower cost and which a representatives said aims to help the fire department and SLRS Inc work out a mutually beneficial future.

The Village Board meets starting at 7 p.m. at Riverview School.

Note: We will have freelance reporter Margie Gentner at the meeting so check back for her report. – DH

NOTE:  The location of the meeting has been changed from Silver Lake Village Hall to Riverview School.

0 Shares

5 Comments

  1. At Riverview school not Village Hall says:

    will be at Riverview school

  2. Branden Sellers says:

    ether way……..lets get er…DONE!!!!!

  3. Robert says:

    To all silver lake village residents, Please come out and support your village tonight. Weather it be the fire department or rescue squad your voice needs to be heard. Silver lake rescue is a great company providing an intermidate service to the village at a low cost. Silver Lake fire dept is YOUR village run dept funded by YOU staffed by village employees for YOU. They work for the citizens. NOW I am not biased but please review all liturature and facts you can find because not everything you hear may be true. I was set in my ways until i researched much more than was being presented to me and it changed my views on alot of things. So with that being said come support your village tonight. your voice is Needed!

  4. Ralph Jankovic says:

    I am happy that this is over,I think president Albrech was on the right track and I also think the system need’s improvement. I think that SLR should start looking into sending some one for paramedic traning it is a shame to see them pull up to some one’s home and then wait there for 15 to 20 minutes for parmedics service. I wish some can explain why we have to subsidize a privatly owned company, maybe silver lake grill should ask for $$$$?
    I am at little upset with Mr. Snow he is not a home owner and rents a home that is for sale and he has to move if the house sells and he moves to another town?
    Will he still be able to be on the board,(no I don’t think so ) so why is he so involved? Let Wilber handle the negotaions!

  5. Daniel Gerber says:

    Ralph,
    You are not still talking about that call are you, first you seem to know an awful lot about that call. Let me explain so that you understand, just as in level of care First Responder to Paramedic, there are different levels that a medical director (Doctor) can allow those levels to do. Some medical procedures or even medications can be witheld at even the paramedic level, Not every paramedic ambulance service in the state runs on exavctly the same level, the state mandates a “scope of practice” a medical director can allow or not what I stated above.
    So what does that mean, (I also want to say that I am not in anyway saying that Salem Rescue is bad – I am just trying to point out your concern) If my neighbor slips and falls and has a possible broken hip, he has extreme pain and Salem arrives does an assesment and vitals, stabilizes the leg and any other proper medical protocols, starts and IV and asked medical history and allerigies – patient states allergic to morphine the game is over! My neighbor would get no pain medication for his fracture and transported to the hospital.
    Now I cannot speak for the person who or even if its the same call but I have to think it is Ralph, now I talked to that patient twice once on the phone and once in person and she stated that she was pleased with her care and she was explained the wait time nessecary and was explained the entire process. She was extremly satisfied with the care and was able to recieve the proper medication, so unless either the patient changed their mind or you are not knowing all the facts and just looking to score cheap points, know the facts before you just start talking please, people appreciate that.
    Ralph subsidies are a nessecity, not every call are we allowed to bill, not all payments are collected as insurances payments and co-pays are different, some calls are for fire stand-bys, CO calls, etc… I would like for you to look at other villages and municipalities and see what there subsidies are for fire/ems, especially Paddock Lake.
    Also Ralph you seemed to be all OK with where Dave Snow lived when he was agreeing with you & your daughter Trustee Schwebke, whoop’s don’t want this father/daughter or mother/son thing coming up again…..
    Ralph people collected facts, numbers, figures and looked at options and they made a choice, maybe you don’t like that choice but that what happens, I will tell you I don’t agree with the way Albrecht, Schwebke, or Dunn voted but that’s their right and if you don’t like it run for the board of trustee’s.
    Thank you!

  • Follow us on

  • Archives