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New funding saves ambulance jobs The Town of Oakville‘s Special Committee Against Impaired Driving is, once again, seeking nomâ€" inations for the committee‘s annual Drinking and Driving Awareness Award. The award will be presented in the spring of 1994 to publicly recâ€" ognize an individual or group who has contributed significantly toward the cause of eliminating many of the needless tragedies that result from drinking and driving in Oakwville. The Haltonâ€"Mississauga Ambulance Service, that coves the Oakville area won‘t have to follow through with a plan for reduced serâ€" Local service groups, businesses, schools, churches, or Oakville resiâ€" dents are eligible to be nominated. Nominations close Tues., Nov. 30th. By BRAD REAUME Special to the Beaver Nominations sought for drinking driving awareness award Nomination forms are available from the Clerk‘s Department in the Municipal building, 1225 Trafalgar Road, Oakville. Both issues have been put on the backburner until April thanks to a oneâ€"time transfer of funds from the Ministry of Health to the local ambulance service. Layoffs and a reduced service had been in the offing if money was not secured. The ambulance service was preâ€" pared to lay off nine officers to comply with Social Contract legisâ€" lation. vice and staff layoffs PUpD "We have until April to review our funding proposals for the next fiscal year," said Ron Liersch, disâ€" trict manager of the ambulance serâ€" vice, Monday. Liersch said layoffs remain a possibility, but that he is looking into the possibility that staff resources be stretched. He explained that for two years the ambulance service has not been calling in officers to fill staff vacanâ€" cies caused by innocent absenâ€" Now Dont‘t ForeEt to sit uP Ne ) â€" ND T t â€" BIG SMILE!/ Z teeism, such as illness, during dayâ€" time shifts on weekdays. Instead, supervisors have filled in, or in the case of two ambulance crews being shortâ€"staffed, they were amalgamatâ€" ed into a single crew and coverage areas altered to compensate for the shortage. "We could schedule statutory holidays and vacations the same way," he said, "and maybe save enough money to avoid layoffs." The main problem with this 174 be These Cles w Soldt Attrition has reduced the ambuâ€" lance service staff by two in the last few months, said Liersch. It is possible that some officers y will have to take days off without m pay to comply with the budget in : the next fiscal year. Before the -”-Q*- money for this year became availâ€" £ able, Liersch envisioned as many as Z 12 unpaid days for ambulance offiâ€" 2 cers. s arrangement is a potentially delayed response during shift changes. by Steve Nease