Accountability a must for EMS
to be effective

The county commissioners will reconvene tonight to possibly determine the fate of county EMS medical director Dr. Fred Obrecht.

Obrecht was under fire from several of the county’s rescue squads Monday night. They accused him of favoritism and poor communication.

The commissioners would be smart not to make a hasty decision, however.

Accountability and high standards are two demands that Obrecht makes on the county’s nine rescue squads and four private transport companies.

Obrecht says he wants EMS service to be the best it can be, and, if there’s a mistake, it’s on his shoulders. His license to practice medicine would be in jeopardy if he wasn’t diligent.

EMS service before Obrecht assumed the medical director’s position was spotty and downright bad in some areas. A 2-cent countywide rescue assessment to help pay for salaried EMTs is one reason service improved, but Obrecht’s influence can’t be denied.

Nevertheless, there is a rift that’s developed between the squads and Obrecht and it must be resolved.

It’s been five years since the county’s EMS plan was last approved, and another assessment appears to be in order. Even if things were going swimmingly between Obrecht and the squads, it would be prudent to have an independent study of the system to ensure it’s meeting the needs of the people, especially in light of some of the information Obrecht provided Monday night about missed calls. EMS is too important not to make periodical assessments.

A study should look at all aspects, from the job Obrecht is doing, response times, continuing education, whether a county-run EMS department would better serve the public, and so forth.

All of these and others are questions that should be examined periodically, and all the players, from Obrecht to the rescue squads to the county commissioners, should welcome the occasional assessment if they truly want to keep standards high.

One thing is for sure: when lives are on the line, the response from EMS must be swift and professional, and accountability is a must.