After hearing public concerns over slow emergency response times, the county Fire Commission on Tuesday launched a discussion on public versus private medical response services.

The seven-member appointed body also considered the potential advantage of the county’s having its own helicopter for emergencies rather than contracting mostly with island tour companies.

The Kaua‘i Fire Department provides first-responder service for every call, Kaua‘i Fire Chief Robert Westerman said. The state-contracted American Medical Response ambulances meet the firefighters at the scene to provide emergency medical services and transport any victims to the hospital.

The commissioners said they want to learn more about the possible benefits of bringing medical response into the fire department.

“It seems a logical step in the future,” commission Chair George Simpson said.

The commission should consider discussing the possibility of the county establishing “fire-based EMS,” he said, a system where the fire department has its own ambulances and provides emergency medical services.

Westerman said the public and private services can coexist, and often do in many locales throughout the nation.

But first the economics, along with the pros and cons, must be studied, he said, adding that the county would need to hire a consultant to do such an evaluation.

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(Source: Nathan Eagle, Kauai Garden Island News)