The Tribune

By CHESTER ROBARDS

Tribune Senior Reporter

crobards@tribunemedia.net

IT TOOK two ambulances to get a man to the emergency room yesterday after the first responding ambulance broke down on the way to hospital, according to EMS officials.

Dr. Alvery Hanna, director of Emergency Medical Services (EMS), said a man was taken safely to hospital after being picked up by a second ambulance when the first ambulance encountered mechanical issues.

She explained that several of EMS's ambulances broke down yesterday, causing call response times for emergencies to plummet.

Sources close to EMS, who spoke on condition of anonymity, revealed that three ambulances broke down yesterday, which forced the team to go into an "emergency response only" mode that meant a call would be responded to "only if we think you're dying."

Dr Hanna said despite the ambulances being taken out of service because of mechanical problems, EMS responded to all emergency calls yesterday.

The Tribune understands that EMS began yesterday's shifts with only two ambulances.

Dr Hanna said EMS has a total of 13 ambulances, "some of which require major repairs" and some that have only "minor problems" and are in the process of being repaired. Just three of those ambulances were in service yesterday.

She said an investigation in the state of the ambulances was recently launched after Dr Herbert Brown suggested that some of the ambulances might have been sabotaged.

Dr Hanna said the ambulances respond to almost 16,000 emergency calls per year and undergo extreme wear and tear.

However, another EMS worker, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, said the ambulances bought for the public EMS services were cheap and not fit for the pitted Nassau roads.

The EMS worker added that the company performing regular maintenance on the ambulances were "guessing their way around the ambulances' engines."

Dr Hanna said EMS could soon acquire five new ambulances this year to bolster their services.

"We want to procure additional ambulances to replace those units and we have gotten some support for that," she said.

The EMS worker said many of the ambulances they currently work with are run down and dangerous, not only to them, but also their patients.

"You actually have to struggle to keep these buses on the road because of the steering," the EMS worker said.

"The wheel alignment is off, rattling noises come from under the bus, lights don't work, sirens stop working in the middle of transport, the vehicle keeps cutting off while we're trying to get patients to the hospital."

Dr Hanna said when EMS procures the five new ambulances some of the older ones will be condemned.