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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Friday October 5, 2007 - 7 Delays have left one ambulance to serve region Continued from page 1 only going to get worse as the population grows. Milton Councillor Colin Best said he's disappointed to see not much has changed since the last time the delay issue was brought up, asking if any action has been taken to correct the problem. Halton Director of Land Ambulance Services Jim King said staff continues to work with its healthcare partners in the HaltonPeel Emergency Services Network to develop strategies to address the offloading delays. "It's really a systemic problem in the hospital system," he noted. Dr. Nosal's report also said there were several instances between April and August this year that only one ambulance was on hand to respond to emergency calls for all of Halton. In those situations assistance is requested from neighbouring municipalities, but they are often unable to help due to high demand in their own areas. "This whole report is alarm- ing," noted Halton Hills Councillor Clark Somerville, who questioned what can be done to rectify the situation. Dr. Nosal said the key is to increase the number of peak demand ambulances in Halton. The Region's budget team will consider the staffing needs required to bring on another peak demand unit for 12 hours a day, seven days a week during the 2008 budget process. King also pointed to the value of emergency response units (ERU) -- a fully-equipped SUV or mini-van staffed by a single paramedic that costs 60 per cent of what an ambulance would. It's used to provide life-sustaining emergency care while waiting for a transport ambulance staffed by two paramedics to arrive. He said that between January 2006 and June 2007, ERUs were able to arrive before an ambulance for over 1,700 local emergency calls. "I believe it's the way we should go in the future," he said. Staffing requirements for a dedicated ERU program will be considered during future budget processes. Despite the delays at the hospital, Halton's EMS response time has been below the mandated standard since 2001 due to an aggressive deployment strategy that results in paramedics spending the majority of their working hours on task, Dr. Nosal's report said. The committee received the report for information purposes. The 2008s have arrived! Satisfaction is only a test drive away. GRAND CARAVAN all new! · Stow n go seating · yes essentials seat fabric · rear heat & air conditioning · 2nd row power windows · power heated mirrors · power heated mirrors · power ¼ vents · 3.3 litre V6 · 24g Stk. #PG09 2008 $ lease for TOWN & COUNTRY all new! · swivel n go seating · removable and stowable table · first & second row heated seats · power sun roof · 17" aluminum wheels · remote start · 6 speed transmission · 3.8 litre V6 · 25k Stk. #PG26 2008 359 1.79% APR PER MONTH FOR 24 MONTHS $ lease for 479 1.79% APR PER MONTH FOR 24 MONTHS This ad is valid for date of publication. Lease payments are plus PST & GST, lic fee term 20,400km per year ,.15 cents per km over charge. Lease payments are based on Freight($1300), dealer admin, globei, nitrosafe,air tax due on delivery. See dealer for details. Lockwood Chrysler wants your leased Caravans & Town & Countrys back NO MATTER which Chrysler dealer you leased with. If your Chrysler Financial lease expires between NOW & MARCH 31ST 2008 LOCKWOOD CHRYSLER WILL WAIVE ALL YOUR REMAINING PAYMENTS! CALL NOW TO SEE IF YOU QUALIFY 905-845-6653 DORVAL DRIVE Customer must honour all contractual lease obligations including past due payments, excess wear and tear and prorated kilometers. This is a limited time offer. Conditional to qualifying for the lease pull ahead program. WYECROFT RD. SPEERS RD. 175 Wyecroft Rd., Oakville Between Kerr & Dorval 905.845.6653 www.lockwoodchrysler.com Financing Provided By KERR ST. TRAFALGAR THE LOCKWOOD REWARDS CARD INCLUDED WITH EVERY PURCHASE QEW