By Gail Peckler-Dziki~Correspondent
“This is the second time that Silver Lake Rescue has cancelled an mutual aid call to a fire,” commented Silver Lake Trustee Pat Dunn at the March 12 Silver Lake Committee of the Whole, “and I want to make sure it doesn’t happen again. I want some sort of sanctions put in place.”
Village President Sue Gerber remarked that previously the fire department had twice interfered with upgrading an emergency medical call, “I think they are even.”
“What is this,” Dunn asked, “a tit for a tat?”
Dunn expressed concern over the lack of repercussions should SLRS overstep again. “This is a private corporation. The fire department is governed by us, they are a village department and they are more accountable to us.”
Silver Lake Fire Chief Andy MacFarlane was having none of it. “Until you all decide what you are going to do, we have to work with rescue and the constant bickering on the board does not help.”
The incident in question occurred on March 4. Silver Lake Fire and Silver Lake Rescue (SLRS) along with the Automatic Response (ARA) were dispatched for a possible structure fire on Depot Street.
The first to arrive was Silver Lake Police Officer Keith Kerwin, with SLRS showing up next. SLRS personnel decided that the fire was out, so the ARA for mutual aid was cancelled. The fire department showed up moments later.
In the letter that MacFarlane said was only intended to be informational, he wrote, “I have six firefighters that were on the call asking how a person or persons that aren’t trained as firefighters can make the determination to stand down our mutual aid from other departments. This being done creates a liability to me and my firefighters.”
The letter went on to explain that the incident wasn’t as serious as originally thought but MacFarlane wanted to make sure that SLRS doesn’t do it again.
MacFarlane explained in a separate telephone interview that SLRS doesn’t have the training or equipment to thoroughly determine a fire is out. “What if it was an electrical fire and was burning in the walls?” MacFarlane said. “You can’t tell that without the proper equipment.”
Although the chief and some firefighters have medical training, MacFarlane wrote, “We aren’t allowed to make any decisions on patient care for medical calls even though some of our members responding to those calls have the same level of training or higher.”
Members of agencies can treat to the level of license held by that agency. SLRS holds a medical license higher that that held by the fire department. The village board has decided that the fire department can’t upgrade a medical call to paramedic. McFarlane requested that the same restriction for fire calls be put on SLRS.
SLRS Chief Bob Johnson acknowledged that the SLRS member was guilty of gross negligence and the squad “takes full responsibility.”
He explained that the member had already been spoken to and that the matter would be the topic of the next SLRS meeting and all the members would be inform