I really think people need to take a long hard look at this issue.   I grew up in a big city during the 1970's.  An our firefighters

got trained to be paramedics.   There were two @ each station.  It was really worth the money to everyone.  Los Angeles uses

this system, an has for years.  They came to my sons rescue when he stopped breathing.  I felt more secure with the help. 

They didn't even worry if we had insurance or not.  They were there to save lives!!   I think that everyone needs to look at what is

best for everyone not just the ambulance companies.

Just this past week our election to add Firefighter/Paramedics to the Pine Mountain Kern County Fire Station has gotten DIRTY.  Large, expensive, colorful, professionally designed, misleading postcards have filled our mail boxes!  I sincerely doubt that any of our local opposition could afford such an expense.  So who is funding this last minute negative campaign?  My vote goes to Harvey Hall, the owner of Hall Ambulance, who obviously feels that he has something to lose up here in the mountains if "Measure K" passes.    

I think the supervisors have taken the correct route when concerning this issue. It is strictly up to the taxpayers to determine if they are willing to take on the additional costs to fund Firefighter/Paramedic services. Therefore, if the taxpayer determines it is worth the extra cost, then they must show ownership of the issue and contact their respective supervisor and/or begin a grassroots campaign to inform the public as to why they should shoulder the burden for fire based ALS services. If enough taxpayers demand this service, then and IF the supervisors dismissed the issue, then you can rightly claim they lack leadership. However, beyond a very small, yet very vocal minority, taxpayers are not clamoring for fire based ALS first responder services. 

This is one decision where the Board of Supervisors have made a good decision based on empirical data, public need and want, leadership and vision. Therefore if the unbiased person will review the attached link to the report issued to the board regarding feasibility of providing fire based ALS in rural areas, I believe they will come to the same conclusion most reasonable taxpayers come to.

http://www.co.kern.ca.us/em...

One last thought here. Lois implies the county should not be run like a business, but rather on emotion. While emotion is easy to get caught up in, our leaders, REPS & DEMS, must remain above emotional arguments and look at the bottom line. Our municipal budgets have changed over the years and now our elected officials must be acutely aware of the financial bottom line. If they turned a blind eye towards a cost benefit analysis and listened closely to their constituents heart strings, our municipal budgets would always remain in the red resulting in a complete breakdown of ALL services, including government and private. As a taxpayer, I want my school board trustees, council members, county supervisors, CA state legislatures, US Congressional legislatures and President to use the business model to make decisions. And yes, sometimes the benefits do outweigh the costs, however, this one particular issue is not one of them.

How dare you say the benefits do not out weigh the costs!!  Have you ever watched a loved one die or someones child have uncontrolled seizures while waiting an hour or more for a paramedic?  And please don't quote the Emergency Medical Departments Report -  Hall ambulance can manipulate their stats just about anyway they choose.  Just talk to some of their paramedic's and drivers.  And please don't tell me I need to live in the city if I want 1st rate services - there are many folks here that believe the we don't get our fair share of taxes returned to us - we plow and maintain our own roads and seldom see a police officer or a sheriff.  On the firefighter/paramedic issue, if we were actually dealing with budgets and not with politics and good ol boys - I might even agree with you.

Always pointing to taxes as the only funding source for these services.  There are other ways to fund firefighter paramedic services. Look at LA County, Sanata Barbara and Ventura County, San Luis Obispo City, just to name a few. And $800,000 is much less than 1% of the Kern County Fire budget. hardly seems worth haggling about.

There are many business models throughout the country where private ambulance partners with public Fire Departments to provide advanced life support to their communities.  San Jose is an example where a private ambulance company paid for the training and provisioning of the fire departments paramedics.  The ambulance company recouped their expense by eliminating some ambulances, because they were able to reduce their response times.  The public was better served because they still recieved ALS care quicker than the what the previous standard specified. 

Government does not run on emotion, or like a business.  Government often has to step in to provide service where no business model can because there isn't a profit to be made.  The military, police and fire services all are not profitable.  They also are not organized, used and managed by emotion. 

This topic should be examined from a distance without bias from independant professionals. 

When Karen Bailey's husband, Hal Bailey died awaiting the arrival of a Hall paramedic and ambulance for more than an hour after he suffered a heart attack, the tragic event signaled a desperately needed improvement in Advanced Life Support services for Pine Mountain and other underserved outlying rural areas of Kern County.

As a result of Hal Bailey's death and the ensuing dogged efforts of community activists and the help of county officials getting the initiative on the ballot, Pine Mountain, residents will vote on November 4th whether to pay an annual $70 per year parcel assessment to fund Firefighter Paramedic Services provided by the Kern County Fire Department from local station 58 located in the village.

Now it comes down to the relative value of human life and whether some residents are willing to pay a few extra dollars to improve the chances of survival of they or their neighbors in a time of medical emergency.

To some, the added assessment of around six dollars or so per month for a locally based paramedic is worth the cost.

Others believe that residents are entitled to the service at no extra cost.

All believe no one should die due to unavailability of proper emergency medical service.

Hopefully, voters will put their monetary concerns and political beefs aside to cast their ballots with the safety and welfare of their families, friends and neighbors in mind.

For the past week Pine Mountain registered voters have been bombarded with misleading, half-truth, large colorful, professionally done and very expensive postcards.  The message is Vote No on Measure K - the messenger is hidden behind their lies with a fake organization name and an apparent fake address.  Todays post card was the worst - it takes on Chief Thompson with a quote out of context.  The Chief has been totally supportive over the years.  I suppose it's possible that there is a local Pine Mountain group responsible but if so, they are will hidden something very hard to do in a small town.  My inclination, however is to follow the money (or more accurately the fear of lose of money) and that takes me to Hall Ambulance.  Over the years Mr. Hall with the help of Ray Watson has fought Firefighter/Paramedics for our community at every turn.  

Tonight, it's looking to me as if Kern County will continue with Hall Ambulance as an 87% monopoly with the only paramedics in the county.  Karen   

Karen, those slick political advertisements opposing Measure K which were recently mailed to Pine Mountain residents are the work of retired Hall Ambulance paramedic and Pine Mountain resident Rick Scott, a staunch supporter of Hall who is opposed to a Kern County Fire Department Advanced Life Support Services program offering paramedics to outlying areas.

It is unclear if Scott has the financial backing of Hall or others opposing Measure K.

I was able to verify today by way of the County Register of Voters that a political consultant by the name of Gene Tackett (661 321-0210) employed by Harvey Hall is responsible for "the post cards".  Aside from ethically, I don't know if any laws have been broken??  It seems to me that a company that has county contracts for 87% of Kern County paramedic ambulance service has stepped over the line somewhere in this proces??.  Anybody have any ideas?  Karen    &n bsp; 

Take a look at james Burger's article this morning!! Karen 

There are many factors when dealing with an issue as such. Hall Ambulance Service has provided service to the Mountain Communities for several years. In those years and currently Hall Ambulance Service has always went above and beyond the standards that are required. Harvey Hall has always raised the bar in quality patient care. There are misfortunes such as Karen Bailey's husbands death and my prayers go to her and her loss, but again there is a BIG picture that you have to look at without emotions. I have always been taught and I am sure others have heard this theory but the theory regardless if the paramedic was sitting by you when you went into cardiac arrest it is a higher authority "GOD" decision onto when it is your time to go. Don;t blame Hall Ambulance Service, and Harvey Hall for your loss. Instead focus on the appreciation of the time that the Lord gave you to enjoy time with your husband. Please do not take this offensely as I do not intend disrespect to any lives in the Pine Mountain Club area, but there is a BIGGER picture than what is being  talked about. The economy in the state it is in now, can anyone afford a tax increase and yes I do uniderstand we are talking about LIFE vs. MONEY but in reality the service is being offered and the services is being offered within the standards that are set by the Emergency Medical Service Authority. I also understand that the community would like to have a paramedic staffed Kern County Fire Engine in the area due to Hall Ambulance Services response to the area. I understand the theory, but by placing that paramedic there can cause a liability to the County of Kern because there level of service and continued patient care are so far between calls. This is not like an area that there are 5+ calls a day. There are even weeks that there is only 1 call. The demand is not there! There are many decisions that people have to make within their lives and my opinion only if I have a medical problem or if I feel that an area I need medical aid service within seconds then I would really look into moving in a metropolitan area. Then you have people say well what about the "Golden Hour".... This is not to when medical care is initiated but transport to an acute care receiving facility as well.

Finally as to Karen Bailey's comments into the slandering of Harvey Hall, again please do not look at this issue emotionally, please look at it with the respect and eyes wide open to a bigger picture than your own emotion.

Lots of county agencies are going to the Firefighter/Paramedic requirement.  I have to support that action.  However, we need to retain the ambulance service as a way of transporting patients and providing ADDITIONAL support to the F/Ps.

Karen Bailey, I am sorry for your loss.

Yes, we do need ambulance service for transportation!  No one in Pine Mountain is saying that we don't need ambulance service - we do.   Please read James Burger article in today's paper - my statement regarding Harvey Hall are factual.  Why is he spending thousands of dollars, using half-truths, in an effort to stop one little community from improving their emergency medical services? 

Thanks for your kind words.  Karen

Again, the importance of expressing your opinion is to ensure your information is FACTUAL!! Now get this...... Mr. Tacket is a consultant for CARE Ambulance Service in Lake Isabella, Ca. All of the ambulance services took part in the evaluation process because this includes the Kern County Ambulance Association.