It happened again. Just when the city of Youngstown thought they had a solution to reduce the likelihood of an ambulance shortage during an emergency.

So what can be done about the city's on-going EMS troubles, and the fact that the solution may be costly and a long way off?

A call comes in just before seven Tuesday morning that a car has hit the concrete barrier on 680 northbound by the 7/11 connector.

The 911 operator contacts AMR ambulance service to transport the victim.

"Be advised we did call AMR, but they have no one available at this time," the Youngstown 911 operator says.

Youngstown firefighters revive the victim using Narcan, because of a suspect heroin overdose, while dispatch contacts AMR again, and AMR contacts Lane Ambulance.

AMR is the private ambulance company that contracts with the city to transport patients to the hospital, but for at least the second time in just over a week, they are tied up for transport. Something the firefighters union says is happening more frequently.

Charlie Smith is a Youngstown firefighter and the president of the IAFF Local 312, "Once again in the city, there was no ambulances to respond."

Smith says, how can anyone feel safe if Youngstown fire doesn't get an EMS plan of its own off the ground? Just last week, Youngstown Mayor Tito Brown issued a news release to address the on-going issue of ambulance availability. Saying in an effort to keep this from happening again, AMR ambulance service was adding two move life-saving ambulances to the City of Youngstown on a full-time basis beginning last Friday. But just days later, the ambulance availability issue happened again.

"There is no way to feel safe if that's the situation, and that's a system that we have in the city. We are two years now into this administration through the fire department. We just had the fire chief last wee at the safety service telling that it's going to be another year until he has another plan put together," Smith said.

But Fire Chief Barry Finley tells 21 News even with two additional ambulance crews AMR was still serving the city, and unfortunately caught during a shift change when the 680 accident happened.

"Well, the crews that were doing shift change they were trying to hurry up and get shift change done, and then they started en route to the freeway. Lanes Ambulance just beat them there," Chief Finley said.

The chief, who says he has 30 years as a paramedic in Youngstown, says he knows some of his firefighters are frustrated and want to start an EMS service at the department sooner rather than later.
But he says they need to realize that he's not dragging his feet. He's researching the numbers with the finance director, and he won't be rushed because he said the city has to have to finances to sustain a program like that.

"You're talking about a city that's financially strapped. Those numbers are important. The numbers are going to dictate more than anything if we can run it," Chief Finley said.

The chief says adding EMS is more complicated than just buying an ambulance, and putting someone on it, he says a medical director would also need to be hired, and the city would need to be able to sustain the program.

Chief Finley tells 21 News he, of course, wants the union involved in the process after he sees if the money is available and if the city could and the mayor are willing to move forward.