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ago by the Chairman (Art Neuberger). She was not overly impressed by the report and assumed <br />implementation was going to be done in-house or by a consultant at a further cost. She was <br />concerned about bringing back the bucket-truck because of the roads and bridges on the beachside. <br />She noted that none of the costs have not been defined and are yet to be determined. She predicted <br />this would be extremely expensive. She discussed costs in other counties and thought the costs for <br />cross training should be across the board and not higher personnel of higher rank. She was <br />concerned about other issues and that this would be the final draft. <br />Chairman Lowther assured Mrs. Ginn that this is not a final draft and the County <br />will not take engines off the Beach. <br />Mrs. Ginn <br /> continued to express concerns about costs and she found most troubling <br />her expectations of a decline in medical care. She took issue with purchasing “quints” as being too <br />costly. She stressed that cross-training ignores legitimate gender differences. She believed <br />combining the two services will weaken both and feared the consequences could be lost lives or <br />lost properties. She had done a lot of research and thought the matter should be sent back thru <br />ESDAC. <br />Vice Chairman Neuberger thought the gender differences were a good point. <br />Commissioner Wheeler interjected questions and comments indicating his <br />disagreement with some of Mrs. Ginn’s concerns and hypotheses. <br />Lt. Gloria Gilroy <br />, Indian River County paramedic for 13 years, stated that our EMS <br />has been the best in the state and best in the nation in years past. Many of the best paramedics have <br />come to Indian River County because they did not want to do both jobs (fire and EMS). She <br />stressed that growth will mean more medical emergencies and transports and we will need more <br />ambulances and more paramedics in order to provide the best care possible. She claimed that a <br />merger of fire and EMS would not save the County money but only increase costs and decrease <br />productivity and care. She stated that each job has its own importance. She asked why a feasibility <br />and cost study was not done. She asked why firefighters pushed for this and suggested the Board <br />ask the paramedics what they want. She believed that morale and care and productivity will <br />September 13, 2005 37 <br /> <br />