BOARDMAN, Ohio (WKBN) -- A group formed to help Boardman pass its ambulance levy released a video Thursday critical of Lane Lifetrans and its response times.
The video released by the group called "Boardman EMS Levy Group" is shown above. It starts with dispatchers requesting an ambulance.
Engine 71: "Can you dispatch Lanes to this location? The occupant who was jumping the vehicle burned her hands." 911 Dispatcher: "Lanes has no ambulance available."
The video went on to say that Engine 71, which is Boardman's ambulance, was able to respond to the call and that since January, Boardman has needed to use its ambulance 271 times because Lane had no ambulance available.
Joe Lane is the owner of Lane Lifetrans which provides ambulance service to Boardman. Lane said the 271 represents 4.7 percent of the 5,700 Boardman has requested for Lane to respond.
Lane said that's the deal they have with Boadman; when Lane can't respond Boardman will.
"So we really don't want to do anything you could say was wrong, and certainly if we do something wrong, we'll own it," Lane said. "If people weren't getting ambulances, they'd be calling the trustees, they'd be calling the township administrator, they'd be calling everyone under the sun to say nobody showed up. Well that isn't the case."
"The problem is I don't think you or I would wanna be one of the calls we couldn't capture," said Boardman administrator Jason Loree.
"If they're late, if they can't make the call, I don't have a recourse. There's not another company to call. So from our position at the township, it would be irresponsible to not have a plan to provide that crucial service," Loree said.
The Boardman ambulance levy will generate $6 million a year for five years and will allow the township to have fully staffed ambulances at all three of its stations.
Lane is concerned that if the ambulance levy passes, there will not be enough work to sustain his Boardman operations which is 35 percent of his business.
Loree said if the levy passes, Boardman will still need Lane's to handle calls which it can't.