Full House At Headland Town Council Meeting - Ambulance and Fire Service

Rickey Stokes

Viewed: 6213

Posted by: RStokes
Date: May 02 2017 10:44 PM

HEADLAND:    A full house in Headland tonight at the Headland City Council Meeting.

The big issue that drew the crowd was not on the town council agenda. It was Headland Rescue and Headland Fire.

For the past several weeks "rumors" have been circulating hot and heavy that Headland Mayor Ray Marler and the Headland City Council are in discussions of doing away with a full time ambulance and fire.

The "rumor" mill was the ambulance service would be contracted out to Pilcher Ambulance and the fire department returned to a volunteer service department.

Headland Mayor Ray Marler told the audience that was not on the table. Marler did not deny that he has talked with Pilcher Ambulance. The Mayor said someone saw him and assumed that was the conversation and the rumors spread like wild fire.

The Mayor assured the citizens that was not happening. However, Mayor Marler said the City of Headland has subsidized the ambulance and fire service and that overtime has been outrageous. The Mayor said some changes are required because financially the City of Headland can not continue with such large amounts of overtime.

In Henry County there are three ambulance services: Headland, Abbeville and Haleburg. These three ambulances serve the entire Henry County; from Houston County/Henry County line north to the Henry County/Barbour County line; from the State of Georgia ( Clay County ) line to the Dale County line.

The ambulance services in Headland and Abbeville are municipal connected. The Haleburg Rescue is not municipal connected.

Today the number of paramedics are not the same as they once were. A lot of departments are fighting for paramedics. UNCONFIRMED, but Dothan recently advertised for Paramedic Fireman and received only 5 applicants ( UNCONFIRMED ).

The hospitals are struggling with patient diversion because there are shortages of nurses.

Ambulances have hard times collecting on runs. And some of the runs they have to make are pathetic. A 911 call will come in at 2 AM "my back has been hurting for two weeks now" and 911 has to dispatch a ambulance.

Calls such as my hand has been sore for a week and 911 has to roll ambulances.

FOLKS - if you need a ambulance never hesitate to call 911 and get one. Many people have died because they were to stubborn to call 911 for help.

BUT, use common horse sense. Do not call 911 for things that can wait for you to get off your buttocks and go to the doctor. You have just been to lazy to do so.

Each run cost money for the ambulance to roll. 

ABOUT HEADLAND, ABBEVILLE, HALEBURG AND PILCHER AMBULANCE SERVICE:  While I have nothing but compliments to say about Headland, Abbeville and Haleburg Ambulances, those same compliments go to Pilcher Ambulance Service with Joey and Debbie Pilcher.

They have been in the ambulance business for decades. They run a professional organization. The ambulances are always clean, in great working order, equipped and ready to roll. If you work at Pilcher Ambulance Service, you better not let Joey Pilcher catch that ambulance not being clean and in top notch working order or the ambulance being abused.

You will think a drill sergeant just got on that rear if you do. So Pilcher Ambulance runs a tight ship wit the motto "that others may live".

THE RESIDENTS OF HEADLAND:   the residents of Headland are fighting mad with the Mayor and Town Council Members. They want the fire and rescue protection to remain. If there are problems with money, not one single resident has any objections to the Mayor and Town Council Members remitting their paychecks back to the City of Headland so that fire and ambulance service can continue.

Not one single resident objects to the Mayor and Council not receiving pay for their positions in order for more to live.

<- back