Imagine this scenario: A family, stretched thin by the economy, decides to forgo paying the city’s $48 up-front medical fee for fire department paramedic service.
One day, the father has chest pain. “Don’t call 9-1-1” he says, “just drive me to the hospital. I don’t need a $300 dollar bill.” So off they go.
En route to the hospital, the father has a massive heart attack and dies.
This could have been prevented with early intervention that the Tracy Fire Department should provide Tracy’s citizens for free. Other cities, such as Palo Alto, charge for service (or a subscription), but that includes transport to the hospital with a city ambulance.
City manager, take notice. This will not work like it did where you came from. Not at all.
Provide a service that taxes pay for. Make sure that there is enough advanced life support fire crews to cover the residents of Tracy.
Time matters. The longer it takes to get there, the more people that will end up dying because of cuts to service.
At the time, apparently either this issue wasn't important enough for anyone to take a few minutes out of their evening to come out and voice their opinion;
or,
We're really not interested in finding solutions to the challenges that face us.
Either way, I for one applaud the City for at least trying to find a solution to these difficult issues.
Whether it's providing an incentive for buying a new car or trying to recover a cost that is driven by those who use a service as opposed to everyone paying more for increased costs of services they never use.
I also applaud Council Member Abercrombie for standing up and voicing his opinion by providing a no vote. I think more of us should come to the Council meetings and speak up if we don't like the way things are going, rather than criticizing everyone for trying to solve the problems that face us.
I realize we all have an opinion, and under the First Amendment we all have a right to voice our opinion, but come-on... If you've got good ideas and you want to be heard do the democratic thing and show up at a Council meeting and argue your point where it will do some good.