Improved emergency oversight demanded

By ANTHONY SPINELLI tspinelli@ctpost.com

SEYMOUR

First Selectman Robert Koskelowski called for stepped-up monitoring of the beleaguered Seymour Ambulance Association after the corps came up short for a chest pain call on Marie Drive Thursday.

The call came in at 8:31 a.m. and Seymour Ambulance arrived at 8:48 a.m., but with only one crewmember, said Koskelowski, who added that the state requires at least two crewmembers to respond.

The patient got help though, because American Medical Response, a private ambulance service, was also dispatched to the call, arriving at 8:53 a.m., and took the person to St. Vincent's Medical Center.

The patient got to the hospital at 9:27 a.m. A Valley EMS paramedic also responded, arriving at 8:40 p.m.

"I've been told this won't happen anymore. I'm watching this," Koskelowski said. "If this becomes a situation where another call is missed, I'll contact the state and see what action I have to take at that point."

It was the first time since Jan. 1 that Seymour Ambulance volunteers were short for a medical call, Koskelowski said, based on a report from the dispatcher, CMED, in New Haven.

The town's concern is to maintain ambulance coverage, no matter how bad the financial scandal at Seymour Ambulance becomes, the first selectman said.

State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal issued preliminary findings last month that the corps' leader misappropriated tens of thousands of dollars.

The paid director, Frank Marcucio III, has since resigned, as have his wife, June Marcucio, and brother, Joseph Marcucio; both also held paid positions.

Koskelowski said it is his understanding that a visit by Seymour Ambulance volunteers with Blumenthal Thursday caused the shortage of personnel.

But Tom Schutte, one of the association's new trustees, said that this was not true, that the response just came at a time of low manpower.

"We're having the same problems as everyone else in the daytime, but our lieutenants are working on it now," he said at Thursday's Seymour EMS Study Committee meeting.

John Gustafson, director of CMED, declined to comment on the incident, except to confirm that he was performing research for Koskelowski.

Jason Perillo, treasurer of Valley EMS, said Seymour Ambulance is in a transition period and that it is not usual for it to have AMR as a backup.

"With a little bit of organizational help, they can solve their problems down the road," Perillo said.