Like many other municipalities across Ohio and the country, Girard is looking at reviving its ambulance service.
 
With increasing calls for help in accidents, medical emergencies, opioid reversals, and other calls for help it is often difficult for private companies
to keep up with so many calls, and patients may be left waiting. 
 
During a crisis, emergency professionals say minutes can make the difference between life and death. 
 
Currently, Girards EMS/firefighters get to a scene quickly, perform CPR when needed, and handle the patient emergency, but they must wait
for a private company to transport the patients to a hospital. 
 
Council members say they are looking to bring the best quality of service they can to residents.
 
"We know the service is there, the quality of employees we have they're all licensed paramedics. They are the first responders there now. They're at the calls within three minutes, no more than five. Sometimes they are left waiting for the private ambulance that does the site transporting," Councilman Thomas Grumley said.
 
Girard stopped providing ambulance services 20 years ago because in 2004 the city was in fiscal emergency.
 
Although financially sound now finances are still a consideration, but it's something the fire chief James Petruzzi believes is possible.
 
By bringing on part-time firefighters to help effectively run and sustain the ambulance service, and eventually possibly bringing on full-time Firefighter/EMS professionals after assessing the program's costs, success, and need.
 
"That could be upwards of $300,000 to $400,000 a year, which the way we figure talking to billing companies should be covered by our ambulance/fire billing," Girard Fire Chief Jim Petruzzi said.
 
City officials are considering buying used ambulances and using America Rescue Plan dollars to buy them, in a bid to revive its ambulance services in a race to save lives.
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