The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

6 The Canadian Statesman, Bowmanville, September 4, 1974 Section Two Winners at Lions Club Carnival Matthew Hicks, also of Oshawa, and his kangaroo doll. Greg Johnson of Orono won this furry brown dog. REPORT FROM QUEEN'S PARK An Open Letter tothe Editor of the Evening Guide - Port Hope, Re: Ambulance Service Dear Sir: The reports respecting the ambulance service in Port Hope appearing in the local press on Monday, August 20th and Tuesday, August 21, are worthy, I believe, of some comment and clarification. The present controversy began witb the transfer of the operation from Mr. Fawkes, the former operator, to Mr. Harry McDougall of Cobourg and the name of the ambul ance changing from the "Port Ho pe Arnbulance" tg, "The Cobourg and A e bulance Service". I have been involved in all the discussions which have taken place with respect to the service; investigated all re- ported delays in service; met with the drivers and obtained their viewpoints; shared view- points with the hospital board; discussed the matter with the Port Hope council; contacted citizens who were involved in reported delays in service; met with Mr. Brubacher and Mr. Scott of the provincial ambulance service and am, I believe, fully informed as to the province's objectives in the development of good ambulance service. My investigations over the past weeks and the accounts in the local press lead me ta believe there bas been consi- derable misunderstanding with the result that certain wrong impressions have been created in the publie mmd. FARM BUILDINGS for every use Call Your Local Representative ROMKE STEL 579-0260 (Collect) R. MARTIN STRUCTURES 39 Armstrong Avenue, Georgetown, Ontario L7G 4S1 (416) 877-5115 Formerly Bea ver Farm and Indusirial Buildings by Alex Carruthers, M.P.P. A list of these follows: 1. That Port Hope bas lost its ambulance service and that efforts should be made to have the full service rein- stated. If by 'full service' is meant, an ambulance manned 24 hours per day in Port Hope, it must be noted that at no time did Port Hope ever have such a service. Previous to the present changé, the ambulance was manned during the day with the drivers 'on call' from 6 p.m. in the evening to 8 a.m. in the morning. Under the present arrange- ment, the ambulance is stat-, ioned at the Port Hope hospital during the day and manned, and on alternate weeks, at night, the drivers are on call. In other words, for one week the Port Hope ambulance is manned at night and the next week Cobourg is manned during the same hours. This is an improvement in service and when a central location has been established, with the ambulances housed in a heated garage (at the present time, I am advised, the Port Hope ambulance is located out of doors at all times) the equipment will be manned 24 hours per day. This will eliminate the present unsatisfactory system where- by the drivers are either called out of bed or from some function they are attendng. During the past two or three weeks, when the Port Hope ambulance was on call, the ambulance was stationed in Cobourg. This was due to the lack of back-up drivers at night in Port Hope; one of the Port Hope drivers having moved to Cobourg and another living in Peterborough. With the vacation period over next week, the former policy will be readopted. This service, as in the past, is backed up by the Cobourg ambulance and the policy is to retain, at all times, either the Cobourg or Port Hope ambulance within the service area, relying on the Colborne ambulance in an emergency for any transfer of patients from one hospital to another. 2. That there have been un- necessary delays in the ambulance reaching the scene of an accident or the home of a patient. Every case brought to my attention has been investigat- ed and efforts made to determine when and by whom the call for service was made. From the operator, I was able to obtain a copy of the time sheet which indicates the time the call was received, the time the ambulance left, the time it arrived at the scene and the time of arrival at the hospital. No record is available, how- ever, for the time lapse, if any, between the time of the accident and the time the call for an.ambulance was made. In practically evemy case there was a difference be tween the report of the delay given by individuals and the time recorded at the dispatch- ing office. In some instances, the delay was due to lack of information as to the location of the problem. On August 22nd, a recording facility is to be installed at the dis atch office to record each cal received. This will re- move any doubt as to the time the ambulance left the central station or the time the cal was received. 3. That the emergency ambu lance service at the town hall in Port Hope has been eliminated. This service is in use and manned 24 hours per day. Calls to this office are immediately transferred to the Cobourg dispatching sta- tion. For about a month this equipment was out of order due, I understand, to a lightning storm. When I learn- ed of this, I made enquiries at the local emergency office, the clerk's office and the police office, to ascertain whose responsiblity it wa.to have it repaired. No one seemed to know so I phoned the service department of Bell Telephone and the necessary repairs were made. I was unable, either through the business office of Bell in Cobourg or Oshawa, to deter mine how the service is leased. Apparently, from the information I have been able to obtain up to the present, it forms part of the account of the town of Port Hope, together with the fire and police service. My investiga- tion in this regard is continu- ing and Bell (Oshawa) is to advise me further. 4. That the Port Hope service has lost its identity through the removal of the name 'Port Hope' from the ambu- lance. In order to comply with his radio license and registration, the service was required to be under one name. While pre- pared to make a change, there are costs involved and if an amalgamation of the munici- palities takes place, it would seem logical to await that decision. In my opinion, a change could be made sooner if agreement can be reached and the name 'Great. Pine Ridge Ambulance Service' has been suggested. 5. That calls for the ambul ance must be made to 372-6841, Cobourg. While the 885-2132 number in Port Hope is being eliminated and replaced by the Cobourg number, the ambulance can be reached, as in the past, by calling the hospital; by dialing the emergency service, 885- 8141 or '0' for operator. When a central station has been established, the present confusion will be eliminated and the province will under- take a publicity campaign to inform the citizens of the area of the service available and the method of obtaining ambu- lance service, not only locally, but anywhere in the province. It should be noted, ambul- ances outside of Metropolitan Toronto are owned, generally throughout Ontario, by the province, having been taken over for the purpose of eliminating the discrepancies in services and organizing them on an area basis. This takes time but when complet- ed it will result in efficient and dependable service, fully manned on a 24 hour basis by trained operators who have undergone an enlarged train- ing program. A few weeks ago I met with the Port Hope council regard- ing the ambulance service and because of conflicting view- points and reports, I suggest- ed that the committee appoint- ed at that meeting give me its views and questions in writ- ing. No doubt these are presently being formulated and when I receive them I will be pleased to present them to the ministry for consideration. Yours very truly, Alex Carruthers, M.P.P. Durham NE WTONV Mrs. Wm. Stapleton is a patient in Memorial Hospital, Bowmanville. Mr. and Mrs. Lennox Vasey, of Port McNic- ol, are visiting Mr. Stapleton for a week or two. Mrs. Iva Farrow and Mr. Reg. Falls are visiting Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Farrow, and Karen, at Gatineau, Quebec, last week, and with them attended the Ottawa Exhibition, among other plac- es of interest. A miscellaneous bridal shower for Miss Cathy Elliott, was held in the Sunday School Hall, here, last Wednesday evening. Cathy was also the guest of honor at a kitchen shower, at the home of Miss Kathy Bridger, Newcastle, on Aug. 21, and another miscel- laneous shower, Aug. 27, at the home of her aunt, Mrs. L. McGabey, Port Hope. Janice, Bonnie, and Gail Seto, of Bowmanville, were luncheon and afternoon guests on Wednesday with Mr. and Mrs. C. M. Jones. Miss Judy Brown left last week to begin her nursing course at Scarborough Gen- eral Hospital. Mr. and Mrs. C. H. Lane joined Mr. and Mrs. Charles Gray and girls, of Orono, and Mr. and Mrs. Bill Lane, and girls of Port Hope at Picton Provincial Park, Thursday, where ail enjoyed a family pienc. Mr. and Mrs. Don Vinkle returned home the end of last week, from their holiday at Lake Catchacoma. While there, they visited Mrs. John Vinkle, and Mr. and Mrs. Terry Hedges at Belleville, also Mrs. Clarence Gilmer, at Lindsay. Mrs. Mary Wade was a guest at the Watts-Nisbett wedding in the Anglican Church, Port Hope, Saturday afternoon, with reception fol- lowing in the Legion Hall. Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Ton spent last weekend at Buck- horn Lake, where they were joined by Mr. and Mrs. Tony Ton, and family, Newcastle, and Mr. and Mrs. John Ton and family, Port Hope, Mr. Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Ton spent last weekend at Buck- horn Lake, where they were joined by Mr. and Mrs. Tony Ton, and family, Newcastle, and Mr. and Mrs. John Ton and family,-Port Hope. Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Clysdale were weekend visitors with Mr. and Mrs. Phil Gilmer, and family, at Chemong. Our regular church service ENFIELD Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Taylor and family, accompanied 4y their guests, Mr. and Mrs. Tom Earl, Manchester, Eng- land, were overnight guests with Mr. and Mrs. Allan Taylor, David and Marilyn, and enjoyed the boat cruise at the Thousand Islands. Mr. and Mrs. Bill Reid and family, Oakville, were guests at the Lavender home. Mr. and Mrs. Norman Lee and Philip, Little Britain, visited with Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Lee. Robert Lee, who bas been staying with his grandparents, returned to his home with his parents. There was a family gather- ing at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Taylor for Mr. and Mrs. Tom Earl and Mr. and Mrs. Michael Earl on the eve of their return to England. Mr. and Mrs. Walter Bridgett, Mr. and Mrs. Lanny Bridgett and Mr. and Mrs. Danny Bridgett, Bowmanville, were present. Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Lee, Mr. and Mrs. Don Lee, were guests at the Lynch-Beaton wedding at Kingsview United Church, Oshawa. Mrs. Elmer Lee, Mrs. Don Lee and Mrs. Don Griffin were guests at a shower for Miss Gail Hobden of Kinsale at the home of Mrs. Elgin Cowling, Peterborough. There are still a few late-hatched swallows around but it won't be long now, and they will return in seven months, a thought to counter- net- thé- nan, à u nnn, ILLE resumed at 9:45 a.m. Sunday, and Rev. G. Montgomery's topic was "Automation, and how the Christian doctrine fits into it." About three dozen were in attendance. Mrs. Mary Wade and son, Grant, were visitors at Fen- wick, Sunday, with Mr. and Mrs. Neil Main. Mr. and Mrs. F. Gilmer were Sunday afternoon visit- ors with Mr. and Mrs. P. J. Rowe, at View Lake. The Newtonville Roadrun- ners advanced to the finals of the Rice Lake Minor Softball League, by ousting Welcome, two games to one. Roadrun- ners dropped the first game, 17-8, but came back to win both games in Welcome, 23-5, and 10-8. Alida Becker and Joanne Vogels hit home runs in the loss, while Joany Willems and Theresa Hoorn- weg handled the pitching. Joany Willems struck out nine, and allowed just five hits in the second game, and Joanne Vogels and Alida Becker again hit home runs, to force a third game. Welcome scored five runs in the first inning of the third game, but at the end of seven innings, the score was tied at 8-8. The Roadrunners scored twice in the top of the eighth, and blanked Welcome, in-the bottom, to win the right to play Garden Hill, in the finals. On Sunday, Sept. 8, the Newtonville Roadrunners play against Galt, in New- castle Park, at 2 p m in the - - - - Mm ,AWNS LAWN FURNITURE DEK first game of the Ontario Juvenile "E" finals. General Insurance PIRE and AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE Contact: HARRY VOERMAN 623-3111 or 623-3950 118 KING ST. E. BOWMANVIlLE everything you need to make it on your own. ENDQF SEASON CLEA ANCE MANY SAVINGS G~D~ POOLS ATTENTION FARMERS! WHY PAY MORE? SAVE ON PREMIUM QUALITY GAS DIESEL FUEL MOTOR OIL Prompt Delivery please call collect OIL wHiTBY 668-3381