Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-02-21


accident sscene on time. Many
times all the ambulances are
out on calls at once, and in some
instances. an ambulance may be
on the go all night. shunting
from call to call.
The Commissioners are con-
sidering a proposal made last
year by Fire Chief Willard H.
Sutton to make the Bethesda
Chevy Chase Rescue Squad a
part Of WaShington's emergency
ambulance service.
The squad makes many calls
now inside the city, and has
been interested for some time in
an official tie-up with the city.
If the proposal is approved, one
of its ambulances would be sta
toned in the city, probably
somewhere in the Northwest
area.
A recent check by the squad
showed that it makes about q
per cent of its estimated $50 runs
a month into the District-nearly
IS emergency runs a month.
Control System Set Up.
A series Of incidents in which
ambulance service was delayed
in 1943 spanked campaign by
The Star for improvement. This
eliminated in the establishment
Of a Central Ambulance Control
System. manned by flremen in
Fire Department Headquarters
in Mcmillan Park.
All calls for emergency services
are screened by an operator at
the center. All incoming calls
are recorded. The operators f1ips
a key to start the recording ma
chine as soon as the call comes
in.
If he decides an ambulance is
needed, he dispatches the nearest
available one. This may be
pretty far away, since all Of the
emergency ambulances are To-
Gated close to downtown.
Last year the control center
handled about $4,000 emergency
calls. The busiest time is from
4 pm. to midnight. when from
so to 60 calls can come in. About
$4,000 Of last years calls were
certified as real emergencies.
OF the $4,000. Emergency
Hospital handled about 5000
cases. AS result of this. hos
pital officials say. they showed
an emergency room operation
loss of $4,000.
Screening Agency Urged.
The committee which studied
health services here recon-
mended last year that central
screening agency be set up to
combine the emergency am
bulance service with an emery
ency physicians service.
The committee also recon-
mended that internS be replaced
by trained attendants, except in
cases where the screening indi-
Gates the need of a physician.
and that all agencies concerned
with emergency ambulance serv-
ice name a person to serve on
an advisory committee to the
Health Department.
One prominent physician who
worked with the committee de-
clared: This is just another
survey about which nothing is
going to be DONE"
Not An INDECENT Service.
Another situation which
plaques the operators of the am
>bulance service is that the pub
lic-and most doctors-confuse
the emergency service with in
digent service. One operator said
that many calls are received from
persons who have no real emery
ency, but who want ambulance
transportation and are unable
to pay for it.
This operator stressed that
ability to pay has nothing to do
with the emergency Service-if
it is a real emergency. an ambu-
lance is sent out. if it is avail
able. Those who need non
emergency service are told to
make other arrangements.
The consensus is that if a real
emergency should develop here,
the city would be unable to cope
with it.
It's a touch-and-go PROPOSE
ton as it is just handling the
routine emergencies.
Some feel that IL emergency
ambulances, spotted over the
city in strategic spots according
to population and accident Incl
dence, is the answer. But, they
add pessimistically. it would take
a disaster to make the city real
ize the sad shape of its emer-
gency ambulance service.
And then it would be TOO late.