There has been discussion for sevral years about the Oklahoma City Fire Department taking control of EMSA.

The city owns all the equpiment EMSA uses including the ambulances and the facilities. EMSA gets five million dollars in compsenation a year from the city, and loses money every year.

Should the city take control of EMSA and merge it into the fire department, most people would get no cost ambulance service or low cost. The only billing would be medicare reimbursment. The ambulances would be distrubuted in districts like the district chiefs are now. Possibly half the stations having an ambulance. Say for example, when dispatched, the dispatcher would call "medic nine."

A side that is both positive and negative is that an engine company would still be dispatched to medical calls, and an engine and rescue ladder to injury accidents (known as signal 82's).

Keeping this in mind. What do you think. Should OCFD and EMSA be merged?

That might not be a bad idea. Hopefully something will be worked out, EMSA loosing money is never a good thing.

I think it would be a great idea. When I lived in Phoenix, it was the fire department that ran the ambulance. Also I think EMSA is based out of Tulsa. Nothing against Tulsa but I like to buy local when possible.

Paul

I would be willing to pay an additional sales tax for a fire department ambulance service especially if it meant it every person residing in OKC was able to use the service for free.

I think the city should increase the sales tax to a flat 9 or 10%. Then money could be dedicated to public safety and parks.

The people of OKC could have a top notch public safety system and the best parks and recreation system in the country.

If nothing else I would like to see the city go to a flat numbered sales tax. Just think how much easier it would be to figure in tax on how much your spending each time.

I'd be for the fire dept. taking it over, however I think going to a county-wide system would be even better