When residents of The Villages call 911, they can count on The Villages Public Safety Department to arrive promptly and professionally.
Whether it’s a lightning strike at a home (and we’ve seen a few of those in the past month) or a duckling in distress, we’re confident that the men and women of the public safety department will get the job done.
The Sumter County Commission appointed an ad hoc committee to look at the crisis in ambulance service that have left some in need waiting for more than an hour for transport to a medical facility. Several years ago, the county switched to a for-profit model, sowing the seeds that got us to where we are today.
Some of the ideas that have been proposed are combining The Villages Public Safety Department with Sumter County Fire Rescue into one uni-fire department (not sure how that addresses the ambulance crisis) and having “nurse navigators” talk to those who dial 911 (as opposed to sending help immediately.) Think about it. Do those sounds like “solutions”?
The most appropriate suggestion we’ve heard thus far is the idea of moving the ambulance service under the umbrella of The Villages Public Safety Department. This past week, The Villages Fire Chief Edmund Cain proposed creation of an independent district with taxing authority to provide fire protection and ambulance services to the community. Cain will be back before the Ad Hoc Fire, EMS and Medical Transport Committee on Aug. 4 to provide more details.
This could be a pivotal moment. And it’s time for residents to show up for The Villages Public Safety Department which stands at the ready for them, day in and day out.
Let our commissioners know where you stand.
Contact them at:
District 1 Commissioner Gary Search
District 2 Commissioner Doug Gilpin
District 3 Commissioner Craig Estep
District 4 Commissioner Garry Breeden
District 5 Commissioner Oren Miller
To communicate with members of the ad hoc ambulance committee, you can send them email via Leslie.Smith@sumtercountyfl.gov
