Save Southern Green Lake Ambulance Service

03/22/2021

https://zoom.us/j/95578935814?pwd=UXYyMEE2S3NPQkVkSUt4TUc2ZFFGZz09

Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, confer...

03/22/2021

Ambulance meeting Monday at 5:30pm

https://zoom.us/j/95578935814?pwd=UXYyMEE2S3NPQkVkSUt4TUc2ZFFGZz09
Meeting ID: 955 7893 5814 Passcode: 215584

Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, confer...

03/11/2021

Volunteers

You can’t beat the heart or strength of an organization built on volunteerism. This is why so many are so passionate about keeping Southern Green Lake Ambulance Service.

These wonderful folks don’t run for the money this isn’t their “job” it’s there way of giving back to the community that they love so much!

If we allow the county to throw that away, you will never ever be able to “hire” people that care as much about this area and their neighbors than the volunteers that run our current ambulance service. It’s simply impossible, so don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

We need to speak up and have our voices heard, once our ambulance service is gone, it’s gone forever and we will never get it back.

03/04/2021

We have attached the recording of the Ambulance AdHoc meeting last night.

Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, confer...

03/02/2021

https://zoom.us/j/96541711133?pwd=eXFkbWx6V1VobkxvVE1UL3hUSnJhQT09

Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, confer...

02/28/2021

Here we go again.......

All-The county tasked an AdHoc committee with looking into options and possibilities for ambulance services.

Well it appears somehow the only option they can figure out is county wide, county wide, county wide. Which is quite shocking seeing that only 4 or 5 counties in all of Wisconsin use that set up but yet those within our county government seem to be blind to any other options.

We have one person on the AdHoc committee that can predict the future and can tell that our ambulance isn’t sustainable! Interesting because our ambulance has never been stronger but because he wants a county wide service he just proclaims our service as non-sustainable.

They send out a fancy survey and basically put them in the shredder as the committee member said he is pushing for a motion to move forward with county wide without taking any of the surveys input into consideration.

It’s sad because we have such dedicated medical professionals working for SGLA and for Berlin Ambulance and yet our politician’s keep playing games pitting one again the other when at the end we just all want what’s best for our communities.

In the south we want what we have a very professional ambulance service that is locally controlled at a very reasonable price tag.

Why must we give up what we have to appease others. No one is disputing that change must be made for some areas of the county but why must we get dragged along at this point.

11/02/2020

Link to the meeting tonight:

Below is the zoom meeting link for tonight’s meeting at 4:30pm. This is the first meeting on the topic with the final vote taking place on November 10th.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://zoom.us/j/95986056423?pwd=cjlKYWVWME8vSXRVWVZab21jdVlKUT09

Meeting ID: 959 8605 6423 Passcode: 890346
Dial by your location
+1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown) +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)

Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, confer...

11/01/2020

Make your voice heard

Contrary to those that wrote the EMS study, we feel that your opinion and thoughts are important! After all your the ones that live here and receive the service from your local EMS.

We take extreme offense to the fact that those that wrote the study feel having our voices heard or circulating petitions is counterproductive or damaging.

This firm was paid good money to do a study, complete the study and don’t worry about what the taxpayers and citizens of the county are doing. After all, the last time we checked the citizens foot the bill for whatever services are approved, not the consultation firm.

So please consider filling out the attached comment card and call the county board chair as he is the only one that controls what gets put on the agenda for the county to vote on.

We need to make our voices heard. We believe that in the end, we all want what is best for the citizens of Green Lake County. We want everyone to have quick access to quality EMS but to rush to approve something without looking at all options seems shortsighted.

https://www.co.green-lake.wi.us/county-wide-ambulance-service-input/

https://www.co.green-lake.wi.us/officials_type/county-board-supervisors/

10/31/2020

The time to have your voices and thoughts heard is now, it appears we are coming up to the finish line of a county wide ambulance vote. The Administration Committee is taking up a resolution on Monday at 4:30pm to create a county wide ambulance service starting July 2021.

Important things to remember:

The firm that was hired to complete the study, admits that county wide systems are rare, only FIVE exist in the entire state of Wisconsin. If they are the answer to EMS woes why only five of them.

In the paragraph below you will see that the firm advised getting staff is next to impossible, they used an example that that one place offered a 25k sign on bonus for a paramedic received no applications. Why do we think that Green Lake County will be exempt from these staffing issues. Last I heard other departments in the county had issues with staffing shortages.

Why must all options involve going to a county wide system. What is the other 67 counties in the state doing for EMS service. How can this be a comprehensive study when all the options presented are county wide systems.

Has the county done surveys of the FIVE counties in the entire state that have county wide EMS and see how the employees like it, the citizens, the county board, etc. I would hope that our county officials would do their due diligence to make sure it’s something that will work here, versus going solely off a study that says it needs to be done.

The firm that put the study together must have forgot that the citizens are who the county services and we are the taxpayers that will have to pay the bill for this service. Because in their study they felt the need to put that there has been a “vigorous” campaign against any type of merger and that this type of behavior is “counterproductive” and can be “damaging”. They pointed out that one of these initiatives was a petition being circulated. I am not sure about you but last I checked we the citizens have a right to express our thoughts and opinions, seeing after all we are the citizens. But I guess those doing the study would prefer the citizens get out of the way and let them do all the talking.

However, if your a citizen of Green Lake County and would like your voice heard now would be the time to contact your county board members or attend the upcoming meeting on Monday at the County Building at 4:30pm.

09/22/2020

If it’s not broke don’t fix it

I came across this photo today online and feel this sums up our entire argument to be left alone and keep our ambulance service locally controlled.

Our system down here isn’t broken. Even though proponents of a county wide system will constantly tell us it’s just a matter of time before it’s broken. The fact of the matter is it’s not broken now!

If they try and “fix” it we will lose something that we will never ever get back. Hometown pride and small town service. If they “fix” it then we will have a problem because it will be broken.

Southern Green Lake County Ambulance board has been forward thinking this entire time. They are prepared to hire full time EMTs and have recruited several local talented young people that want to fill shifts!

I spoke to an EMT this weekend and they advised they fight to fill shifts and never have a shift go unfilled!

Please don’t try and fix it, otherwise you will end up breaking it.

09/20/2020

County wide ambulance study revealed

PLEASE SHARE

Last week Tuesday the county wide ambulance study was finally revealed. To say the “options” were expensive would be an understatement!!

Every option raised county taxes by well over a million dollars. The first option that provided the “best” coverage was over 1.6 million per year added to the tax levy!!

Between Southern Green Lake County Ambulance and Berlin Ambulance they only levy approximately $373,000 total to taxpayers per year! The cheapest option from the study which really changes next to nothing from our current ambulance service would cost almost a million dollars more per year!

If you haven’t filled out your “comment card” yet to the county board, now is the time. Demand that they balance service and cost, help them to realize that there are ways to provide excellent service without spending 1.6 million dollars per year.

The one “pro” that the presenters kept saying about a county wide service was that the county could “exceed the levy” limit. Is that really a pro? Several board members sure didn’t think so but our county administrator seemed to be interested in that “pro” of the county ambulance.

Make your voices heard loud and clear!

https://www.co.green-lake.wi.us/county-wide-ambulance-service-input/

09/15/2020

County Board Meeting tomorrow (09/15)

While we will be unable to attend the meeting in person and won’t be able to provide citizen comments, watching the meeting will be extremely important! Below is the link for the zoom meeting. The more of us that log on and watch the meeting the more they realize we care what is happening to our ambulance service.

If you have trouble with the link message us and we will try and provide you some help.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://zoom.us/j/94752215292?pwd=Y2poRlgzeklGeXJhTWMycDJQblJOUT09

Meeting ID: 947 5221 5292 Passcode: 358592

Dial by your location
+1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)
1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)

Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, confer...

09/13/2020

Citizen/Taxpayer Comment Section Removed

PLEASE SHARE ITS VITAL THIS BE SHARED

Well folks our voice has once again been taken away from us. The release on the webpage states that due to the rise in covid-19 cases the public will NOT be allowed to attend the boarding meeting in person and that citizen comments will NOT be allowed.

Don’t get us wrong-this group cares deeply about the health and safety of everyone.

But it’s hard not to find it suspect when it’s too dangerous to have citizens attend a public meeting but yet it is still safe to have 19 board members, county clerk, county administrator, county attorney, an outside company to present, county department heads all gather in one room for hours.

For the safety of ALL during the spike in covid-19 why would you not ALL meet virtually via zoom. It’s hard to understand that it’s ok for some but not for others. Especially when the “others” are the very citizens and taxpayers you represent!!

But one step further-even if you are locking the doors to the public. You are hosting a zoom link for us to “attend” the meeting. If you have the zoom link set up why not continue to honor citizen comments remotely. The county board had already pledged that all citizens via zoom would be able to comment via zoom.

How does taking virtual comments make the meeting “safer”. Please someone tell me how taking away virtual zoom comments by citizens is needed to protect the spread of COVID-19.

Give us a voice! You still will have 24 hours from Monday to amend and repost. You have already said citizens won’t be allowed in person. We understand that but let us speak!!

Instead of giving us a voice. Our representatives have told us to simply “fill” out a form and they will distribute it. That doesn’t mean it will ever be read or seen.

It seems our county board has resorted to a “comment box” on the wall. Is that really how much you think of us the citizens of our county? Just fill out a form......

I guess that is the only option we have currently. The link is below, Every citizen needs to fill one of these forms out and let them know we want to be heard!!!

We need to do that and contact the county board chair and tell him if it’s too dangerous for citizens to meet it’s to dangerous for a meeting at all.

Harley Reabe
920-294-0824

https://www.co.green-lake.wi.us/county-wide-ambulance-service-input/

09/11/2020

I think it’s vital to understand what has been happening lately. Over the next couple of nights this group will share posts from Southern Green Lake Ambulance that helps us see their side of this issue.

09/09/2020

This is what happens when the people speak up and demand their elected officials listen to their concerns.

We must keep up our hard work as this topic isn’t going away but at least it isn’t going to be pushed through this month.

BREAKING NEWS... An amended agenda for the upcoming Green Lake County Board of Supervisors meeting on September 15 has been posted, removing discussion and possible action on a Resolution 18-2020, which relates to the "Establishment of a County Wide Ambulance Service within Green Lake County".

Remaining on the agenda for September 15, the Board of Supervisors will still be presented with the ambulance study from Dan Williams, President, of Strategic Management and Consulting, LLC who was hired to complete the independent study. Following the presentation, will be public comments, with the County Board meeting then adjourning to a Committee of the Whole meeting to, as noted on the agenda, "discuss County Wide Ambulance Service."

Ambulance service has been a hot topic in Green Lake County in recent months and continues to garner interest, especially from the southern half of Green Lake County, where residents feel their current service, provided by the Southern Green Lake County Ambulance Service, is being threatened.

Berlin Journal Newspapers received multiple Sound Offs on this topic, which are included in this week's September 10 edition, in addition to numerous additional Sound Offs that touch on important topics throughout the area.

This week's September 10 editions just finished rolling off the press and will be delivered to area newsstands this afternoon, and straight to local subscribers homes in tomorrow's September 10 mail.

09/06/2020

Quality Care at Conservative Costs

***PLEASE SHARE THIS POST***

Everyone this is what quality ambulance care looks like that is locally controlled! In the picture you will see the total that each of the municipalities pay each year for ambulance service from Southern Green Lake County Ambulance (SGLCA). It is based on a formula and this amount has not been raised on municipalities for many years.

SGLCA provides outstanding quality compassionate service to all of its citizens at a very reasonable price tag.

This is all thanks to LOCAL control and all the municipalities having a voice and a vote to maintain this service. This is what government should be, a bunch of small communities coming together to solve a problem and create a long term solution! That is what our LOCAL ambulance board has done with SGLCA!

Our county board could learn a lot from SGLC ambulance board on many things. But some of the most important is to leave municipalities alone that are doing just fine for their citizens and how to be conservative with taxpayers dollars!!!

Leave us alone Green Lake County Board.

09/05/2020

***Urgent*** The County Board Agenda is out and it’s not good!!!

Well they are hiding in plain sight that they have every intention of rushing the county wide ambulance proposal through at this months county board meeting. As you see the company presents the study on the county wide feasibility and they go into discussions and then have an resolution as an action item to vote in creating a county wide ambulance service.

Please share this far and wide. We have to reach out to the county board members, county chairman and county administrator and let them know this is appalling how they are trying to push this through. They work for us the county tax payers but yet don’t want to take the time to listen to our wants.

The phone numbers and emails of all county board members will be attached to this post. Make your voice heard NOW! After September 15th it will be to late.

This is absolutely sickening that OUR county government is trying to do this in such haste. You hear the results of a study one minute and the next minute you are voting on a resolution to establish a county wide ambulance????

09/04/2020

Please share to all in Green Lake County that want to keep government small and control of our ambulance locally! We have to make our voices heard so they are substantial!!!

Please read your Markesan Regional Reporter

Well folks just as we had feared for just being a “study” or “looking” at options after reading the local newspaper tonight. We get a very different feeling.

If something was just being looked into would it occupy that much of the counties time and resources?!?! Something doesn’t add up.

When the County Administrator was asked if our recent petition has had an impact. She couldn’t say but that the 1000 signatures was significant BUT not substantial!!

I send out a plea for action-if we don’t speak up now and have our voices heard loud and clear we will lose the change to be heard on this topic.

I have learned that you can watch the county board meeting via Zoom and can provide citizen comments via zoom! Also please take time to write ALL county board members and tell them that your voice is substantial!

Take a look at the paper when you get time on page 11 and 14 and see what you think. For not even seeing the study results yet that sure is a lot of time and effort into just “exploring” your options.