LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Several townships have filed a lawsuit in Lackawanna County in an attempt to change ambulance dispatch procedures in the North Pocono area.
Covington, Jefferson, Madison, Roaring Brook and Springbrook townships have resolutions in place that designate the Covington Independent Volunteer Fire Company as the primary Advanced Life Support provider for their townships, according to a news release sent out by Lackawanna County Communications Director Patrick McKenna.
The townships have filed a suit against Lackawanna County, alleging that the county's Emergency Management Services Department is not honoring their local township's resolutions.
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According to the lawsuit, Lackawanna County argued that the resolutions endanger public safety, as they would dispatch the Covington unit even if it was not the closest available ALS unit. The townships refuted that claim and specified that language is in place to ensure the nearest unit is dispatched if the Covington unit is not available.
In a press release from Lackawanna County, county Commissioner Bill Gaughan stated that the county 911 center would continue to dispatch the nearest available ALS unit, despite the lawsuit.
"If you're experiencing a heart attack or stroke, or if you are injured or have another serious medical emergency, time is everything," said Commissioner Gaughan in the release. "We have a moral obligation to get people the help that they need as quickly as possible. This is about saving lives more so than municipal resolutions. Dispatching a unit that is farther away defies common sense."
County Solicitor Dan Frederickson said the county could face legal liability if a delay in dispatching a unit other than the nearest one results in a patient's further injury or death.
The full lawsuit can be read here.
