|
Ambulance Service Supports SECONDS COUNT! |
||
| SECONDS COUNT!
NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contacts: Warren Hultquist (303) 541-0151 David Wagner (303 440-1005 AMBULANCE SERVICE SUPPORTS SECONDS COUNT! Boulder, CO––June 24, 2000––Pridemark Paramedic Services, L.L.C. has issued a statement supporting the SECONDS COUNT! ballot initiative. Pridemark provides ambulance services in the city of Boulder, Colorado under a contract with Boulder County. In an open letter dated June 23, 2000, Pridemark President and Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey M. Forster detailed the consequences of delay-producing traffic mitigation devices. These include delayed arrival at medical emergencies and slower transportation of patients to medical facilities. Forster noted, in particular, that speed bumps “cause discomfort to our patients and make it harder for us to deliver patient care en route....” He also described how paramedics must stand unsupported in the back of an ambulance to care for the sick and injured, necessitating very slow speeds when negotiating traffic devices to avoid serious injuries to the emergency service providers. Forster called attention to the right-of-way confusion at small traffic circles when other drivers encounter an ambulance running under emergency conditions. The full text of Forster’s letter will be posted on the SECONDS COUNT! web site. SECONDS COUNT! is a November 2000 ballot initiative by Boulder, Colorado citizens to prohibit traffic devices that delay emergency response. SECONDS COUNT! is online at http://www.secondscount.org. # # # |