The Silver Lake Village Board will again consider extending its contract with Silver Lake Rescue Squad Inc. and its recently received bids for paramedic service at its meeting Wednesday night.
In anticipation of a large audience, the meeting will take place at Riverview School. Some board meetings with this controversial topic on the agenda have drawn over capacity crowds (57 people plus 1) when held at Village Hall.
The search for EMS service is prompted by the Salem Town Board’s lack of action on an agreement for Salem Fire/Rescue to provide emergency medical services to the village, with Silver Lake Fire Department firefighters acting as first responders. That arrangement, approved by the Silver Lake Village Board in March, was the result of over a year’s worth of discussion of options. It also meant the village would not be contracting for EMS with Silver Lake Rescue Squad Inc. for the first time in over 30 years. Money saved by not contracting with Silver Lake Rescue was earmarked to pay for staffing the fire department.
Earlier this month, the board received three bids for paramedic services, from Medix/Curtis, Antioch Rescue Squad and Silver Lake Rescue Squad Inc.
There will be the usual “wailing and gnashing of teeth” coming from the “We Don’t Need Paramedics In Silver Lake” malcontents tonight. They will be chafing at the bit to spew out their bile. Today’s lottery question is “Will Mike Decker Show Up Tonight”? I think the issue has pretty much been “discussed to death”.
It’s TIME to upgrade the Fire and Rescue EMS response in Silver Lake. Have SLFD provide prompt First Response, backed up by Paramedic service. Since SLFD chose NOT to upgrade their services provided to Paramedics(“we don’t need them in Silver Lake”….their words, not mine)they should step aside and assist in the transition to upgraded services, rather than continuing to sand bag the process. They keep babbling about how much they care about the community(most of them don’t live here)but keep stabbing us in the back every chance they get. Mudslinging Sue will need a bigger gavel tonight when they start whining. Oh, that’s right, she doesn’t gavel them, wouldn’t want to hurt Sonny Boy’s feelings. Time for this Board to move on the issue. The facts are all on the table. Further delay at the expense of our citizens’ health and welfare is intolerable.