Elmhurst May Wade Into Debate Over Emergency Medical Services

ELMHURST, IL — An Elmhurst City Council committee plans to take up advanced life support services, an issue over which mayoral candidates sharply disagree.

In his campaign, mayoral candidate Michael Bram proposes adding advanced life support equipment to city fire trucks. But one of his opponents, Alderman Mark Mulliner, contends such a service would be too expensive for the city. Alderman Scott Levin is the third candidate.

Over the weekend, Alderwoman Dannee Polomsky announced the Public Affairs & Safety Committee would address the issue of emergency response services and advanced life support at its meeting at 7 p.m. Monday. Because of "a heightened level of interest" in the issue, she said, officials have arranged for the meeting to be in the City Council chambers rather than a smaller meeting room.

Fire Chief Thomas Freeman is expected to give a presentation during the meeting. It is unclear whether he will directly address the issue of adding advanced life support to fire trucks. On its Facebook page, the local firefighters union calls advanced life support "the Gold Standard in pre-hospital healthcare."

For decades, the city has contracted with Superior Ambulance as its private paramedic service. The ambulances come with advanced life support. In 2017, the city added a "rapid emergency vehicle" with advanced life support to its fleet, which officials say can arrive quicker than ambulances and fire trucks to medical emergencies. Last year, the vehicle was moved from the north fire station to the south one, although it covers the entire town.

Late last year, Bram proposed another rapid response vehicle for the north side, which he represents. He said the north side is vulnerable when no such vehicle is near.

In a Jan. 15 memo, Freeman said the vehicle was moved last year because of extended response times as a result of an increased call volume on the southwest side of town. The move resulted in no compromised response times, with some areas seeing improved times, the memo said. Freeman said the city did not need a second rapid response vehicle or a third medic unit.

"However, based on an analysis of statistical increases in emergency medical calls, which are closely tracking to the increase in population, there is no doubt in my mind we will someday need to address that very concern," Freeman said in the memo.

Candidates Bram and Mulliner weighed in on advanced life support on fire trucks at a virtual forum in February.