Dear Editor,
Is Emanuel County EMS Being Given the Support It Needs? How safe do you feel at night knowing that emergency services are there when you need them?
Emanuel County is fortunate to have an excellent Sheriff’s Department. If you experience a break-in, home invasion, or other emergency requiring law enforcement, you can feel confident that help will arrive quickly. Our fire department is also filled with some of the best firefighters in the state, and they respond quickly when people need them.
But what happens after that? What happens if you are injured during that home invasion? What happens if you are burned in that house fire? The answer is concerning: your chances of receiving timely ambulance care is not what our community deserves.
This is not a reflection of the dedication or skill of Emanuel County EMS. Some of the best paramedics and EMTs in the state work, or have worked, for this service. The medics who remain are hardworking, compassionate professionals who continue to provide excellent care despite difficult circumstances. They are dedicated to this county and the people they serve.
The problem is not the people. The problem is the system they are being forced to work in.
For years, EMS personnel have struggled with feeling like they do not fully belong as part of public safety, the county, or Emanuel Medical Center UNLESS they need them. They are often overlooked despite being the ones responding during some of the worst moments in people’s lives.
At any given time, one ambulance may be responsible for covering the emergency needs of the entire county. Meanwhile, crews spend large portions of their 24-hour shifts transporting patients to facilities in Macon, Augusta, Savannah, Atlanta, Dublin, Vidalia, Statesboro, and surrounding areas. During those times, the emergency coverage left behind is dangerously limited and left to only one ambulance to cover the entire county.
Paramedics are highly trained medical professionals. They complete extensive continuing education, maintain certifications, and make critical decisions in the field that can mean the difference between life and death. Yet many EMS providers are paid wages that require them to work additional jobs just to make ends meet.
The equipment and working conditions also deserve attention. While I am grateful that new equipment and resources have been provided for other county departments, many of the ambulances still in service have hundreds of thousands of miles on them. Ambulances are not ordinary vehicles; they are mobile emergency rooms that carry lifesaving equipment and transport patients during some of their most vulnerable moments. High mileage, frequent use, and aging fleets increase maintenance challenges and can create additional concerns for both patients and providers. The safety of patients and providers should never be a concern.
As a taxpayer, I am proud to support the services and departments our county provides. However, EMS providers often work in conditions that do not reflect the importance of their role. They operate out of other departments aging facilities with smelly plumbing, moldy walls, buzzard feces that could fill a dumpster, and limited spaces, often trying to rest during exhausting 24-hour shifts in environments that make adequate recovery nearly impossible.
The county administrator fails to see what we see every day. Which is a lack of support and funding and also a lack of urgency to take care of a problem that has been overlooked and fallen by the wayside for far too long. This is not about criticizing individuals. This is about recognizing a growing problem before a tragedy forces us to act.
We have to look at the EMS service as needing to be more than adequately prepared for any and all emergency situations that arise rather than a bandage on the issues we face in the now. At this time EMS is grossly understaffed, underpaid, and overworked. We are one call away from someone losing their life. The Commissioners and administrator of this county may be able to live with that, but when it comes to my family, I cannot, and neither should you.
The men and women of Emanuel County EMS deserve the same support, respect, and resources that are given to any other emergency services. Our community deserves an EMS system that is well staffed, well equipped, and well prepared to respond when we need it most.
The question is simple: when seconds matter, will there be an ambulance available?
Our citizens deserve to know the answer.
Respectfully,
Mary Beth Love
Former 20-year Paramedic Emanuel County EMS
