JASPER, Texas — When lives are at risk, emergency services response times for ambulances are critical, especially in rural areas.
Slow response times or sometimes no response at all have become an ongoing crisis in both Jasper and Newton Counties.
Not having an ambulance provider under contract to keep an ambulance available in a rural county can be the difference between life or death.
For the past 17 years, firefighters and first responders at the Burkeville Volunteer Fire Department have continuously dealt with life-threatening scenarios with either slow or no response from ambulances, according to Burkeville fire chief Charles Duckworth.
Whether it's a fire or rollover accident, from the moment a 911 call comes in to a dispatcher, to the time it takes to notify an ambulance, every second counts.
“Especially when you have a critical patient, it's really important,” Duckworth said.
The county dispatcher will actually call the ambulance dispatcher who isn't even in the county according to Duckworth.
Because the ambulance companies aren't based locally, they say they aren't familiar with the area, which is why it takes longer to get to a scene, according to Duckworth.
Duckworth recently met with Acadian and Allegiance to talk about solutions to the response times.
“If we can have an ambulance in Newton County at all times, we can cut that response time in half,” Duckworth said
If Acadian Ambulance were to keep an ambulance in the county at all times, they would need to be under a paid contract, according to Acadian Regional Vice President Eric Tibodeaux.
Acadian is willing and has talked to both counties about a contract but hasn't said whether they would make any additional efforts at this time.
Allegiance Ambulance has committed four ambulances to be stationed in Jasper County with at least one in Newton County, according to Duckworth.
Allegiance also plans to open a dispatch office in Jasper and has already begun interviewing applicants, Duckworth said.
There will be another community meeting in June in Burkeville with report cards for both ambulance companies.