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in village up to 22 minutes By ANGELA BLACKBURN Special to The Champion There's no point in doing something halfway, espe- cially if it's saving ]ives. Calling 911 can summon a tire truck quicker than an ambulance in some panis of Halton. and officiaIs say that's not good enough. So tbey're re-jigging Halton's ambulance stations with a $ 1.7- million plan to improve service. Most of il will be for new or upgradcd stations, but money will also be spent on biring paramedics - $200,000 for aI least a haîf dozen paramedics - another $47,500 for supervisors, and $160,000 for para- medic training. Ie plan was poesented at the Region's bealth and social services commitlee last fTuesday. Somne councillors wanted to keep costs aI bay, but otbers said lives were aI stake. Halton Region took over ambu- lance service from tbe Province last summer and already problems aie apparent. Response limes in Milton's Campbellville area are as long as 22 minutes. "That's far bigber (han tbe cbance of survival." said Halton's Medical Officer of Healtb Dr. Bob Nosal. Added Halton Ambulance Service Director Jim King: "That's far higher titan the chance of survival." .....-............... "Milton response timtes are signiti- cantly bigiser tisas we'd like. Since tise casino opened at Mohsawk, tbe catI volume bas doubled." Oakville's growtis bas made il difficult for ambulances 10 work solely out of tise Wyecroft Road station like tisey once did. A new station is needed in west Oakville. A temporary station now oper- aIes ouI of tise Halton Regional Police beadquarsers on Bronte Road. Yet anotiser station is needed in tise nortb - around Sixts Line and Hwy. 5. *Again, response times are at issue and tisere's a lot of growtis." said Mr. King. East Oakville may even need a new station. Ambulances patrolling Mississauga now serve tise area, but il may soon bave to fend for itself as Peel investigates relocating ils ambulance station furtiser away from tise Oakville-Mississauga border. Ward 3 Councillor Keitis Bird suggested operating an east end ambulance station aI as existing fire bail. "Il we move too close 10 tIhe bor- der, we'l lose thse vebicle t0 Peel aI l tbe lime,' said Mr. King. 'Ttere aie significant catIs there." Ambulances respond to calîs without prejudice of municipal boundaries. In Burlinglon. the Harvester Road ambulance station is closing because of a land sale, so tbe ambulances there will split cover- age from new nortb and south sta- tions. In Burlington's north end. regional oficials are eyeing thse Bailey Reservoir (Guelph Line at Hwy. 407) as a favourable location. Burlinglon Councillor Jack Dennison would like the station piggybacked on fire station 2 on Upper Middle Road. However, Burlington Councillor John Taylor, said costs could run as bigb as $800,000 and thse station would only accommodate one ambulance. Mr. Taylor noted tisaI wbile tise Region operates ambulance serv- ice, dispatching still remains a provincial purview. Fie service iemains a municipal iesponsibility. "Wben someone calîs 911, tisey'ie expecting a iesponse. They don't care about tise namne on tise vebicle," said M. Bird. "Lots cas be done to improve life saving but we need toi break down tise barrers a littie quicker," said Mr. Taylor. The Canaian MOHAWK RACE!RACK RLOTS TULEVISD M MU DIAMO -t MANDLA B y j I Includes Complote Vohicle Warrmnty 3 yr60,GOm Powertraln Warranty 5yr.t100,OOO km m-ý QL,11AQ U_ su.u~ ~s,. uo~. ~IHWY. 25 S. AT DERRY RD., MILTON l M o SAIf E 27, 2001--G