BROOKHAVEN, Ga. — DeKalb County is taking action to find solutions to cut down on ambulance response times in the county. One step includes creating a new hub in Brookhaven where they can dispatch units from the location.
Officials from DeKalb County, the City of Brookhaven and American Medical Response came together Wednesday to make the announcement. The hub, which will be located on Buford Highway, provides a local station where EMS workers can change shifts and keep the ambulances closer to their service area.
"The city and the county has collaborated to improve the lives of all our residents," said Brookhaven Mayor John Ernst.
DeKalb signed a contract with the ambulance company, AMR, which has received several complaints about slow response times and negligence over the years. The county still decided to sign a new 5-year contract last year.
“One of the big challenges I faced when I came to DeKalb County CEO is there was a hue and cry, a legitimate hue and cry, from citizens particularly in the northern part of our county, who were concerned," said the county CEO Michael Thurmond.
He said they worked with municipalities, AMR, and within the county to try to create a strategy to reduce response times. Thurmond said they believe they have a model that can be replicated in other places.
“It sets the tone that other jurisdictions, I think, could follow because this is a problem not just for DeKalb," he added.
DeKalb County Fire Rescue Chief Darnell Fullum said about $2 million was spent on new rapid response vehicles and more than $5 million was invested in equipment and other improvements. AMR will also be able to dispatch units from the new hub.
“This location is going to be important to our improvements as it relates to our services," he said.
County officials said there will be a training room for programs and community education offerings. Once the hub is completed, AMR will deploy six new ambulances with the latest features in them. An AMR on-duty supervisor will also be stationed there.
The hub will serve areas in the northern part of the county. The goal is to open it as fast as they can.
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