By Nila Harris
BUTLER — More than 30 firefighters and citizens converged on the March 11 Northern Pendleton Fire Department board meeting in the wake of the death of resident with a medical emergency. It took an ambulance 28 minutes to show up.
Board Chair Jason Bowling opened the meeting addressing the audience, saying he realized there were concerns regarding command decisions made on March 4 call for resident Justin Brown.
Magistrate Josh Plummer said that all area fire stations were at a 10-acre grass fire.
As soon as the call was received for Brown, the NPFD ambulance that was on the way to the fire was diverted to Peach Grove, he said.
Dispatching an ambulance to fires is standard procedure.
Plummer expressed the need for more people.
Marie Perkins, longtime family friend of the Browns, stated, “We know you guys are doing great, but the decisions you are making are wrong. It should’ve been seven minutes, not 28 (for Brown to receive help).”
Becky Brown, wife of the deceased, stated that she had to say for the first time, “I’m a widow.”
She talked about how in her job, when faced with a problem, she immediately gathers a team, develops an action plan, goes into implementation mode and develops performance indicators.
She said she expects the same from the fire board.
When asked if she could receive a copy of the report of the board’s findings, Bowling told her the investigation could take up to six months.
Mount Auburn resident Bill Flaugher praised the excellent service his mother recently received by NPFD before her . . .
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AMBULANCE, continues on Page 3