Toledo, IL-(Effingham Radio)- The Cumberland County Board spent the Tuesday meeting hearing from Toledo Ambulance Board President Bob Swearingen about the dire situation the Toledo 911 service is in.
Jarrod Estes, a representative from Lakeside EMS, said that they are willing to offer support however they can. Jarrod stated that he and a few others who work for Lakeside EMS live in Teutopolis, so they live fairly close. He said as soon as the Board finalizes a contract, they would be willing to help the Toledo area 911 services fill the gap and make sure everyone who needs emergency services will receive them.
As for the Toledo 911 service, they still have had no applicants for the positions. They need 2 EMT’s and 2 Basics, all full-time positions. Both Neoga and Greenup ambulance services are covering, but Greenup’s 911 service is also understaffed. Swearingen stated that the ambulance service was running on roughly the same amount of funding as they were decades ago, despite rising costs in virtually every facet of their daily operations. There was some discussion about combining Toledo and Greenup’s ambulance services, but no official change was made. Swearingen emphasized that lack of state funding has left the service with no staff, mainly because the staff takes better paying jobs that Toledo Ambulance cannot match. He said when the Toledo Ambulance service first started, it was all volunteers. But as the times changed, the staff needed to be compensated and could no longer afford to be volunteer only.
The Board scheduled a meeting at 6:30pm on September 20th to follow up and try to find a fix for the short term as they work toward a permanent solution. Lakeside EMS will also be in attendance.
The Cumberland County Board also:
- Approved list of Republican and Democrat election judges
- Approved 2 liquor licenses
- Rescinded liquor license for Bikini Bar
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