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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News Record, 2014-02-26, Page 7Wednesday, February 26, 2014 • News Record 7 Some long wait times for EMS in wintry January Paul Cluff Goderich Signal Star A tough winter has had its effects on the county's ambulance service, causing some delays, including a 285 -minute wait for one call. Huron County council was presented with response times for January at their committee of the whole day 2 meeting on Wed. Feb. 19. EMS chief Dave Lew said some of the delays this winter are due to weather con- ditions. A call that came in at 8 p.m. on Jan. 24 was not attended to until 12:45 a.m. the following morning. Lew explained that weather was to blame for that particular call. "We were dealing with road closures, try- ing to get through the snow to begin with, then around the different roads to get to the appropriate location," he told the Signal Star. Environment Canada reported a tem- perature of minus 30, with winds gusting as high as 80 kilometres per hour on that date. Another call on Jan. 24 required 90 min- utes for EMS to arrive. Eight calls last month took 50 minutes or longer. Lew told council that an EMS staffer was stuck at a station due to weather without enough food to last past a 12 -hour shift. A staffer suggested having enough supplies in the event they are storm -stayed. Lew also discussed difficulties with dis- patch services - provided by the Central Ambulance Communication Centre (CACC) in London that began before EMS was downloaded to the upper tiers in 2001. Ontario Winter Games bid considered at council Letter of intent due Feb. 28 Gerard Creces Clinton News -Record Can Central Huron support the Ontario Winter Games? Council is still trying to come up with an answer after a Feb. 18 presentation by Community Improvement Coordinator Genny Smith. In order to get Central Huron on the radar, a letter of intent has to be submitted by Feb. 28. Bids would come later, at the end of April. The municipality received positive feed- back from Sport Alliance Ontario after coming in second on their bid to host the Parasport Games, and Smith said the return on hosting the winter games would reap dividends for local business and Cen- tral Huron as a whole. Smith noted that for other communities that have hosted the games, the economic boost has been significant. The return on the games in past host communities has been upward of $4 million. In local dollars, Central Huron would put up $200,000, with Sport Alliance Ontario chipping in $600,000. Many of the contacts needed have already been made with Central Huron's parasport bid. Councilor Brian Barnim said he does not think the municipality has the right mix of businesses that could properly ben- efit from the games. "I'm not seeing how you would see those returns in an area like this," he said. "We don't have half the stuff we're going to need." Rather, he said the county should be making the bid, as they would be getting the most benefit. Deputy Mayor Dave Jewitt made the motion to support the letter of intent. "You have to start someplace; he said to council, adding the one natural advantage the municipality has is its tourism indus- try. Still, he said, council should not submit a bid unless it intends to follow through. Mayor Jim Ginn noted that for summer tourism is steady in Huron, and holding a major event in winter is opportune. Hosting the games would require part- nering with neighbouring municipalities as well as the county, Smith said. Part of the detriment to Central Huron's Parasport Games bid was the lack of accessible accommodations. With the winter games, the biggest chal- lenge of the bid is downhill skiing, how- ever, with Kitchener in close proximity, the details of the events could be figured out once the bid itself is solidified. 4 0 0 00 o 10 �o 0 0 111 o °11 �i� Happy 90th Birthday Mel Vanderwal February 29t'', 2014 Open House March 1, 2014 2 - 4 p.m. Clinton Christian Reformed Church Hall Love From Family Best Wishes Only 0 4 0 o1 0 D 0 0 o 0 For more than a dozen years, discus- sions, originating from Middlesex and Oxford counties, have been ongoing about downloading the London communica- tions centre. Though the Ministry of Health and Long -Term Care blocked the move in 2002/03, Ottawa and Niagara EMS have since swayed the ministry to operate their own dispatch systems. The ministry seems receptive, Lew's report stated. Coun. Ben Van Diepenbeek (Ashfield- Colborne-Wawanosh) suggested using caution if approaching the government about downloading anything. "I don't trust the province (with downloading)." Lew said Huron EMS have not approached the province but he sug- gested the same problems exist in Huron and Middlesex -London. "We have tried to solve our concerns about dispatch and deployment with our • Brynlee Flynn on March 2nd Love, Mom, Dad, Grayden, Graysen & Graynger !, • 1 regional dispatcher," he told council. Coun. Paul Klopp (Bluewater) said problems could arise in- house or through a regional centre. "Sometimes in-house you don't hear the arguments but there are still problems." Lew said there has been a large turnover in management and ambulance call officers at the regional centre. All eight of the EMS operations under the London communi- cations centre have expressed the same concerns raised by Mid- dlesex -London to the centre's management and the emergency health branch field office, with little or no change in the system, his report said. The challenges identified significantly impact how any EMS program is able to operate given that the London CACC has repeatedly failed to follow the deployment strategies that have been provided to them and agreed to by their management, the report states. If the ministry approves, the Middlesex CAO and EMS Chief will approach each municipality to consider a shared govern- ance model for a Middlesex -London operated dispatch centre. Council received the report for information purposes. "We should be aware of what is going on in our neighbour- hood," Lew said after addressing council. "We have had some (dispatch) problems...and I will leave it at that" li it 0 411 1,0743 Iits i • bike CLINTON RADARS 2013-2014 HOME GAMES PLAYOFFS FRIDAY • FEBRUARY 28 • 8:30 TILLSONBURG THUNDER CLINTON RADARS SPONSORED BY: DYKSTRA CONSTRUCTION OFFICE: 519-482-9082 CELL: 519-525-8675 C LINTON MINOR �= aI Q E aI "4111111111\1.11EGISTRATION/1111111111111.- SOCCER REGISTRATION EVENTS AT THE CENTRAL HURON (CLINTON) COMMUNITY COMPLEX UPSTAIRS Thursday, March 6th 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm and Saturday, March 22'10:30 am - 12:00 pm BOYS & GIRLS TRAVEL LEAGUE FEES Boys born in 1996-1999 $90.00 Girls born in 1996-1999 U14 Boys born in 2000-2001 $70.00 U14 Girls born in 2000-2001 U12 Boys & Girls born in 2002-2003 U10 Boys & Girls born in 2004-2005 IN TOWN HOUSE LEAGUE (Parent Participation Mandatory) U8 Boys & Girls born in 2006-2007 $40.00 U6 Boys & Girls born in 2008-2009 Kiddie Kickers Boys & Girls born in 2010-2011 $30.00 Starting March 23rd players will be put on a waiting Iist.If there is room a $50 late fee will apply. • A $50.00 uniform deposit (separate post dated cheque) is mandatory on all registrations. • Please bring your cheque to registration. • If you are unable to make it to registration please send your information along with payment with someone else. • All families are required to assist. Sign up at registration for duties. • House league season will start the week of May 26th for the U8 and under teams and the week of May 5th for the Travel teams.