Excerpts from the KaneCountyChronicle.com:
If a proposed alcohol and drug treatment center is permitted at a former boys’ school, the ambulance calls to a local fire district would increase by 120 to 150 a year, according to recent testimony.
Maxxam Partners LLC is seeking a special-use permit from the Kane County Zoning Board of Appeals to convert the former Glenwood School for Boys, at 41W400 Silver Glen Road, into a 120-bed private pay, luxury treatment center.
At the continued hearing, Robert Handley, board president of the Fox River and Countryside Fire Protection District, said he based his estimate by comparing similar facilities in other areas.
“We are out-of-quarters for at least three hours from the time of dispatch to time of arrival” at the hospital, Handley said. “We can’t just drop them [patients] off and say, ‘Goodbye.’ There is a transfer of patient care.”
In 2015, the fire district had 896 calls for emergency medical service and 489 calls for fire service.
Handley said one ambulance down for three hours would strain the district’s ability to serve other residents and the district would have to rely on other departments, which would charge out-of-district fees. The additional calls also cause added wear and tear on the ambulances.
“And presumably the response time would be increased.” Handley said. “They would have to wait for an ambulance. It has a ripple effect.”
thanks Dan
