- April 26, 2024
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When Volusia County Chair Ed Kelley began experiencing chest pains the morning of the County Council meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 18, an ambulance was called to transport him to the hospital.
Since then, he's seen comments on the time it took an ambulance to respond, between 16-18 minutes Kelley said, and he explained that the medical incident hadn't been an emergency. Having had a triple bypass surgery in 1999 and a cardiac arrest event in 2009, Kelley said he knew he wasn't having a heart attack.
Before Volusia County EMS Medical Director Dr. Peter Springer spoke to the council on EMS that day, he had been at Kelley's side. Kelley said he was asked if he wanted the ambulance to come in "hot and fast," and he declined. He arrived at Florida Hospital Memorial without sirens.
“It may have been diverted to a true emergency, [Springer] told me later," Kelley said. "He said it may have been. They knew mine was a non-life threatening situation.”
Kelley had a stent placed in an artery. He was released from the hospital on Thursday, Sept. 20.
Here's what he had to say about the EMS discussion he missed.
During his presentation to the council, Springer said the county's seven-minute and 30 second average response time was calculated from the time ambulances were dispatched, not from the time 911 received the call.
Kelley said 911 dispatch is run by the Volusia County Sheriff's Department, and that if the Department was withholding calls for long periods of time before transferring it to EMS, then that needs to be looked into. However, he doesn't think this is happening.
If it's a call for an ambulance, Kelley said, then there's "no reason" that call would be withheld. If those have happened, he would call those outliers as well. (Springer called County Councilwoman Heather Post's data on long response times outliers.)
“You got people sitting on monitors that don’t know the full scope of it," Kelley said. "The people directing the EVAC operation see more than what they see.”
Kelley disclosed he didn't listen to the entire council discussion on EMS as he was tired of "all the inquisition."
“You take a professional person who’s a doctor, and he’s treated by one of the council members like he’s on trial," Kelley said. "And I find that very distasteful."
He said he knows how the EMS system works, and that Springer is "a perfect example of the ultimate professional."
“To tell someone to drive yourself to the hospital instead of being transported by ambulance to the ER is absolutely ridiculous, ludicrous and nonsensical," Kelley said, referencing Post's decisions to drive herself to the hospital a few weeks ago for a blood clot.
He said he's had acquaintances who have died driving themselves to the hospital in an emergency.
“That vital time that you save by going there, even though you may have been a minute or two longer than driving yourself, may save your life," Kelley said.
He said he's bothered when people "attack" the council and staff on "things that are not true."
“Are you going to take your information from some EMTs or some firefighters?" Kelley said. "Or are you going to take your information from the people that administer the system?”
Kelley said the county is currently adding 8 new employees to EMS, and that staff is working behind the scenes to implement measures to improve the system — specifically to target non-emergency calls.
“I’m very protective of people being critical of everything we do," Kelley said. "I live by the idea there’s nothing that we’re doing today that can’t be done better. Period. Whatever it is.”
He said a bad outcome due to slow ambulance response or transport would not be acceptable to him. There will be times were response times are not as timely as they would like, he said, as Volusia County is both large in size and population. But he's open to make changes.
If a County Manager says there is a problem with EMS that needs to be addressed, they will do so.
“I want the best for everybody, and I’m willing to look at everything that’s suggested that is to solve the issue," Kelley said. "I’m not going to accept people making false accusations or partial information. Information is the important part to make a decision. Misinformation, exaggerated information or lack of information are three things that can cause you to make a bad decision in addressing a situation.”
