This blog is maintained for the sole purpose of allowing the people of Peru and those interested in the cities of the Illinois Valley to express their views.
“It doesn’t take a majority to win, just a tireless minority that will keep starting brush fires in the mind and hearts of their fellow men.” Samuel Adams
One thing that came out of the meeting is that PVAS is possibly an overstaffed service. And if Mr Bubb's wife is working for PVAS, does that mean he might have a personal interest in keeping the service in their hands? Did he overstep the line Peru is not in the business of keeping people in a job, they are responsible for running a city in a cost efficient manner with your tax dollars used wisely. I do realize there are employees on the payroll not living up to what is expected of them but if the ambulance service needs better management, we should be trying to get to that place for the benefit of the residents of this city.
Lois: I agree with your statement that we are responsible for running a city in a cost efficient manner but it seems to me that lately we're spending quite freely. I also agree that I think there needs to be some in-house cleaning. I can't defend PVAS because the rumors (have no verification) seem to indicate a lack of leadership and structure but, I'd have to see in black and white how combining the 2 services would save the city money. If it just means eliminating the $48,000 we pay annually I'd have to say that savings would be wiped out by having to hire and pay a full time fire chief.
If PVAS is overstaffed, so what. It is still costing the city the same amount of money. As a taxcpayer if they have too many people its much better than too few. Mr. Bubb reference was that the city of Peru does not need to create more jobs in the ctiy of Peru, not PVAS. He stated that the City has the most economical and efficient service with PVAS. Don't create more jobs for city employees was his message. His wife working for PVAS, yes he has a interest. But Ald. Perez working for the fire department has no conflict? Payroll not living up to expectations, how do we know that unless we are at PVAS? Payroll not living up to expectations in the City of Peru? Where do we start? Is the street department overstaffed? How about City Hall? For a city of 10,200 we have every title, task, office covered with employees. PVAS overstaffed, so what. When is the presentation for contract firemen?
What cost effective solutions has our city undertaken so far? What are these management problems that seem to be the reason Peru is leaving PVAS? The residents have the right to know why we are changing services. We need to know if we are being carted away by the current new ambulances with paramedic services or some makeshift 15 year old truck with good ole Joe the plumber taking care of your life. Please tell me its not about you don't like the manager or they sound a horn on Marquette Street. Ugly rumors with no verification about PVAS ,is a way to destroy a good organization and place lives in danger.
PVAS is not overstaffed. There is a core group of full and part time employees of about 15 EMTs and paramedics. Beyond that there are about 15-20 POC or paid on call personnel....just like the fire Dept. That means that they cover open shifts vacation days, sick days, transfers Etc. This gives these EMts amd Paramedics a chance to make money. This also alleviates the need to pay overtime to full timers. Smart I think. Most importantly though these people from OUR COMMUNITY are also the ones that show up for all call such as a large accident, multiple calls at the same time, Etc. An out of town FOR PROFIT company will not have these extra people hanging around at home, the mall, Etc to cover these situations. I know several firemen that have EMT certifications and when a larger event like an accident large fire Etc happens they will show up at the fire department not the ambulance service.. They are great at what they do...but.... THEY DO NOT WANT TO BE EMT's. PVAS does a great job, and they have been doing it for over 30 years. Keep up the good work PVAS!!!!!!!!
All of a sudden Peru Aldermen have this big concern about $48,000 the city pays to have a professional ambulance service? Last week alone they spent millions without a discussion.
lois what are you talking about cost efficient-ever since this new adminsitration has taken over that is the least of their concerns they can wait to spend the mone we dont even have yet
My concern is the 2012 budget for peru...90,000 for police chief, just shy of 3 million to operate the police department, roughly 700,000 to operate the fire department, and 156,000 for elected officials altogether...I'm real glad the city is worried about a measly 48,000 to a service that has worked fine with no major faults for years.
Lois, As per your comment “And if Mr Bubb's wife is working for PVAS, does that mean he might have a personal interest in keeping the service in their hands? Did he overstep the line Peru is not in the business of keeping people in a job, they are responsible for running a city in a cost efficient manner with your tax dollars used wisely.” I’m curious what line you think I crossed. As a private taxpayer living in the city of Peru, I not only have the right but also in my opinion, the obligation to talk about financial obligations the city may be entering into. The fact that my wife works for PVAS is irrelevant, as this private non-profit organization is neither, owned by, or run by the city of Peru. Peru pays them the yearly rate of $48,000.00 to provide a service that is provided in a professional and cost effective manner. Is this matter personal to me, of course it is. This move could seriously impact my family, does that mean I’m not allowed to comment on the situation? Does that mean that I lose my rights as a taxpayer? Please tell me the line I crossed.
I also am curious what part of the meeting made you make the following comment “One thing that came out of the meeting is that PVAS is possibly an overstaffed service.” I audio taped the entire proceedings and never ran across any public comments from anyone that implied this statement.
I asked alderman Perez a question regarding his comment on the dispatching, because he made it sound like the city was spending money directly to support PVAS activities. When the city insisted years ago to have a central dispatch system, and took over those duties from IVCH, this work was just merged into the present dispatchers duties. Alderman Radtke picked up that same line of questioning and Chief Bernabei closed the discussion by saying that his dispatchers are and would be trained to perform these duties in any instance.
I responded to Chief King’s comment that this is purely business, and not personal, when I said this is very personal to those that are looking to possibly lose their jobs if you go forward with a plan like this. This caused quite a stir in the room, but the fact of the matter is when you are talking about making a change that directly affects upwards of 30 local taxpaying families during an economic recession, it is very personal for all involved.
I keep reading about how the ambulance is mismanaged on this blog, I am curious as to how you come to that conclusion. Unless you work in a business and have first hand knowledge of the inner workings, you are purely speculating on the operation of said business. When I hear of a business that is mismanaged, I expect to see things like a high employee turn over rate, bad credit rating, complaints to state and federal agencies, etc. None of these factors have occurred. Look at the longevity of the employees of PVAS and you will see most of the faces have been there at least as long as most of the faces at PFD.
Tony I am going to assume that you have not been reading this blog or its predecessor and all the past discussions of PVAS. This has been going on for about 3 years. I briefly went into the archives of this blog and found 2 discussions. They are dated Dec. 06,2010 I Don't Understand PVAS The second is dated Dec. 16, 2010 PVAS Peru Volunteer Ambulance Persists Perhaps that will at least give you an overview. I do believe there are more recent ones but its too late for research tonight. The archive information is to the left of the comments toward the bottom of the page.
Lois, You should never assume anything, not only have I read all of these blog posts, I have actually commented as "anon" on some. I am very curious as to why you and the people on this blog feel you have a say in how this organization is run. In your past postings, you have used the term subsidy for the FEE that the city pays to PVAS for a service. This is no different than the FEE the city pays to Chamlin for their services, or Test for their services. Do you tell these organizations that you disagree with their leadership, and meddle in their internal affairs, purely because they contract with the city? How about Peru Little League of Peru Girls softball, which are given subsidies by the park board to run their programs, do you tell their board of directors how to do their jobs? PVAS is a business, nonprofit, but still a business. It is not now or was it ever a part of the city of Peru. It was started by private citizens, some of whom were city leaders. The city leadership back then certainly helped them get established. But the decision was made to make it a private entity, which it has stayed for all of these years, even though the previous mayor insisted on controlling it. The current board of directors has done the correct thing in further distancing themselves from city control, by increasing the size of their board and adding non-elected officials. Like any corporation’s board of directors the PVAS board is made up of people, in this case volunteers that guide the business decisions of said corporation. The medical direction of PVAS is guided by protocol and law and overseen by the EMS coordinator at IVCH, as is all other local services including LaSalle. A local doctor, in this case I believe Dr. Calderon still holds the position, oversees the entire EMS system.
700,000 to operate a fire department! I bet PSI could do it for less. They would probably retain most of the current staff, but may be able to operate it more effectively for our taxpayers. It would probably cost those who call the fire department more money, similiar to having PSI make ambulance calls. Its our responsibility to review, discuss, research, and have a committee presentation to look this cost saving procedure. A private fire service would be trained just like the current service, think about the savings. Just imagine the savings on all those new vehicles that the fire department administrators ride along. Oh they do a great job and all that, but like the Ald.Perez said...its putting together the fiscal year we need to look at ways to cut costs. Its right in front of you now! Lets see where we go with that?
9:59 PM Yes as a private citizen you have a right to always express your opinion on any action taken by the city, just as anyone whether a resident or not does. Most people who are the spouse of someone working for the city or other business in which the city might be involved usually recuse themselves from comment. Possibly because they may have information that is not to be put forth publicly simply due to their association with their spouse.You have answered your own question by stating if your wife lost her job, it might seriously affect your family. The comments you have read for the last 3 years are not things people are making up. I have read the bylaws and recently revised bylaws and even posted them and in my opinion there are serious problems with the content of this document and the make up of the Board of Directors and again that is my opinion. Again it is called Freedom of Speech.
Maybe the city should be looking into hiring a company for the fire department and forget about an ambulance as they might be able to bring forth cheaper rates as opposed to the outrageous operating budget set forth in the fiscal year 2012. PVAS is only costing 48,000 dollars-a flat rate. The city has no other obligations for anything-insurance, equipment, training, benefits, so on in comparison to what it does for the VOLUNTEER fire department. I'm sorry but this is not a true volunteer department in my opinion. Yes they get to choose which calls they want to respond to but how many come running out to help in a medical emergency as opposed to a fire or car accident? Also, if they are supposed to be volunteer why do they set aside pay them...and a hefty amount I might say according to a past post. No matter what call they go on the get the same rate is what my understanding was from that post and that is funny cause I've heard through the grapevine that this is 2.5 times more than what the medics make in one hour-3 times for the basics. Who is costing the city more?
Please be reminded that the City of Peru does not own PVAS. As stated many times, PVAS is a PRIVATE entity. The concern of the taxpayers revolve around the fact that the City is subsidizing a PRIVATE business and is the subsidy being spent in the most fiscally responsible fashion possible. Does the City subsidize any other privately owned business in town? Also, do you not believe there have been conflicts of interest in the management of the PVAS and their board members? Too "close" of a relationship for City Alderman & prior Mayor to be involved in a PRIVATELY owned business being paid City money approved by those same alderman and mayor?? Also, if there is nothing to hide, why not share the books? HIPPA will not be violated with accounting reports. If the taxpayers are screaming for accountability, please defend yourself and open the books. Nobody wants to see 30 employees loose their jobs in this economy, but I personally sat in a meeting where a rep from the PVAS stated that half.. at least HALF of their calls are not billable!! She even made mention of the fact that they sometimes receive up to 3 calls a day from the same person. She went as far to even let us know on many occasions that "ambulance staff pottied the elderly person and put them to bed." Should the city taxpayers pay for personal care taking services? I am sympathetic to an older person that is lonely and in need, but does an EMERGENCY ambulance service need to handle this area of hospitality? Not only once, but at least HALF of their annual PVAS activity? Does anybody else in the city in a PRIVATELY owned business give away HALF of their revenue stream? Please answer my questions and concerns. I am a taxpayer too.
The city needs a FD and they also need an ambulance service and at this time neither seems to be functioning at a top notch level. I agree that problems need to be worked out at the FD and I do believe the Mayor needs to be involved but not the police dept.
Both the FD and the Ambulance service seem to need more oversight so perhaps another privately managed company might benefit the citizen and although it might look like another expense perhaps a private company would be watchful of money spent vs money brought in.
As a concerned taxpayer, you can have your questions answered if you take the time to do so. Have you tried going to the FD or Ambulance and asking? I'm sure if you do they will be more than happy to give you answers...its called an FOIA and we (taxpayers) all have rights to them. Finding answers from here is not always the best choice.
FOIA applies to governments and I don't think that you can FOIA a not for profit privately run agency. If that were possible, I believe someone would have done that years ago.
I have the same concerns and was aware that PVAS makes numerous trips for what they term "lift assist" and as stated sometimes numerous times. I don't know what the answer is to this but I believe it is something that needs to be addressed. I did not know they were not billable. So it seems that the on duty EMTS who are paid hourly help the individual but there is no reimbursement from insurance, medicare or medicaid. Each time they go for the "assist", they get a signed refusal from the patient that they refused to be transported to any area hospital.
Even if its not an emergency to you...it is to someone. Take a look at what the EMS Code of Ethics states and try to understand that their jobs go way beyond what the concerned taxpayers believe. Maybe it will bring some clarity to your questions in regards to their choices in patient care.
A fundamental responsibility of the Emergency Medical Technician is to conserve life, to alleviate suffering, to promote health, to do no harm, and to encourage the quality and equal availability of emergency medical care.
The Emergency Medical Technician provides services based on human need, with respect for human dignity, unrestricted by consideration of nationality, race creed, color, or status.
The Emergency Medical Technician does not use professional knowledge and skills in any enterprise detrimental to the public well being.
The Emergency Medical Technician respects and holds in confidence all information of a confidential nature obtained in the course of professional work unless required by law to divulge such information.
The Emergency Medical Technician, as a citizen, understands and upholds the law and performs the duties of citizenship; as a professional, the Emergency Medical Technician has the never-ending responsibility to work with concerned citizens and other health care professionals in promoting a high standard of emergency medical care to all people.
The Emergency Medical Technician shall maintain professional competence and demonstrate concern for the competence of other members of the Emergency Medical Services health care team.
An Emergency Medical Technician assumes responsibility in defining and upholding standards of professional practice and education.
The Emergency Medical Technician assumes responsibility for individual professional actions and judgment, both in dependent and independent emergency functions, and knows and upholds the laws which affect the practice of the Emergency Medical Technician.
An Emergency Medical Technician has the responsibility to be aware of and participate in matters of legislation affecting the Emergency Medical Service System.
The Emergency Medical Technician, or groups of Emergency Medical Technicians, who advertise professional service, do so in conformity with the dignity of the profession.
The Emergency Medical Technician has an obligation to protect the public by not delegating to a person less qualified, any service which requires the professional competence of an Emergency Medical Technician
The Emergency Medical Technician will work harmoniously with and sustain confidence in Emergency Medical Technician associates, the nurses, the physicians, and other members of the Emergency Medical Services health care team.
The Emergency Medical Technician refuses to participate in unethical procedures, and assumes the responsibility to expose incompetence or unethical conduct of others to the appropriate authority in a proper and professional manner.
This is all about money, not service to Peru. Harl is looking at the statistics - he can get more unionized employees and send the bill to MEDICARE. Everyday 10,000 people turn 65. Peru's population is not getting younger. Harl is banking on this - funny thing is though, what happens when MEDICARE can't pay?
3:10 PM Both the original commenter and I understand all you have written. Police and Firemen are considered public servants because they are employed by a city."A civil servant or public servant is a person in the public sector employed for a government department or agency" What the responsibility of an EMT that is employed by a private agency is, I guess would be determined by that agency. But PVAS is not totally private as they are given taxpayer money. I am going to say they you could look near and far and not find a similar set up to the one we have in Peru. If you find them, I think we need to talk.
ANONYMOUS 2:59 i DO BELIEVE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PVAS AND PERU FIRE IS THAT THE PERU FIRE IS NOT A SEPARATE ENTITY FROM THE CITY AS PVAS IS. THERE IS A UNION BARGAINING UNIT FOR THE PERU F.D. AND THEY MAKE UP THE CONTRACT. THAT MAY HAVE BEEN SOMETHING FOR THE CITY TO CONSIDER YEARS AGO, BUT NOW THE CITY OWNS THEM AND THE IFFA ( ILLINOIS FIREFIGHTERS ASSOCIATION )CONTROLS IT. WHERE PVAS'S PROBLEM IS, IS THAT THEY ARE JUST LIKE ANY OTHER CONTRACTOR, IF THE CITY DECIDES THEY WANT THEIR OWN AMBULANCE SERVICE ALL THEY HAVE TO DO IS TAKE A VOTE. FIRE AND POLICE ARE PROTECTED BY FEDERAL AND STATE REGULATIONS WHERE AN AMBULANCE SERVICE LIKE PVAS CAN BE TOSSED AT ANYTIME AND TAKEN OVER BY THE CITY. I GUESS THE AMB. BOARD SHOULD HAVE TRIED TO LOCK IN A CONTRACT WITH THE CITY BECAUSE IT SURE SOUNDS LIKE THEIR SCREWED! AS FAR AS FINANCIALS FROM PVAS GOES? FORGET IT!! THEY CAN AND SURE THEY ARE MICKEY MOUSING THEIR BOOKS TO MAKE IT LOOK LIKE THEY ARE POOR AND SCRAPING BY, I WOULD IMAGINE THE CITY IS/HAS DONE HOMEWORK BECAUSE IT WILL NOT TAKE A SCIENTIST TO FIGURE OUT THEY ARE MAKING GOOD MONEY. IF I DO RE-CALL LAST YEAR HEARING THAT PVAS WAS GOING TO HAVE TO FIRE HALF OF THEIR CREW SINCE THEY LOST SERVICE IN LASALLE, I WOULD HAVE TO GO FIND THE POST BUT I THINK SOMEONE SAID PVAS HAS OVER 30 EMPLOYEES? SOUNDS LIKE THEY HIRED AND NOT FIRED.
Sorry mr. curious but pvas has like 50-60 on the payroll, they may be able to mess with you verbally on how much they make but I'm sure you can find their financial information very easy, regardless if they are a non for profit you can still see it all.it's actually easier with a 501c.
No PVAS does not have 50-60 employees or POCs. Go down there walk in the door and ask. I don't think anyone has walked in there and asked the questions you all say are being hidden. Lois I was standing in the kitchen area of PVAS when the director invited you in to see the building and show you what we do here. You were there picking up info that you got freely and were not even asked to fill out foia request. Your answer to him was. "I don't have time". I was there I heard you .
Yes I did go to the ambulance bldg for a copy of the revised by laws. I had asked Ald. Ankiewicz and he told me to just go down and get a copy which I did. I was also asked by Mark Roberson if I wanted the nickel tour of the bldg and I refused as I did not have time as I had come with someone who was waiting for me. I did not think a tour of the bldg was something I needed to see, I vote there all the time. I have no questions about the equipment or building, it is the structure of the organization and the bylaws that concern me and I could be wrong but I believe the people on the board may have the answers most people are looking for.
What do the by laws have to do with the operation of the ambulance service? Ask the specific questions that are relevant to the business of saving lives. If you have problems with the qualifications of the staff or the financial matters of this organization, please bring those to light. Meet with the Director, call a Board member, call the doctor advisor, call a member of PVAS.
What organization would require their board to have elected politicians sitting on their board? I have talked to board members aka as Peru aldermen, going back to Ald. Mikyska.
so the way I read these blogs, if you were walking toward the mall from your car and an elderly lady fell and could not get herself back up, you would either pass her by doing nothing or stop and help her up then send her a bill? But if the people who man your ambulance service, who get paid for the hours they work not the number of calls they do, go to someones house and helps them up, checks them out and deems that they do not need a hospital visit, you want to bill the CITIZENS of your town extra for the "service". And perhaps your mother, sick, falls, makes a mess, is scared and 911 is called, and the people who come with the ambulance take the time to do the above, then because they have a HEART they clean her up, clean up the mess and make sure she is safe in bed and the doors locked...you want to be critical of them for doing this? If this is the care the people who man the PVAS ambulance, then I say KEEP THEM they have more of a heart than most of you on this blog and to them it is more than a job, it really is about CARING for people. What if that was your mother? What if she sometimes needed help once or twice on a bad day. You should thank god the people who serve this town DO THESE THINGS. You should not replace them, you should welcome them and praise them. Shame on your all, it is not ALWAYS just about the money.
I wonder how many closed session meetings the mayor has with department heads such as police chief Bernabei and fire chief king that we taxpayers and ALDERMAN don't know about, and don't know of subject matter. This does happen! You have to love those closed session meetings. Eventually. It all comes out, in my opinion!!
34 comments:
One thing that came out of the meeting is that PVAS is possibly an overstaffed service. And if Mr Bubb's wife is working for PVAS, does that mean he might have a personal interest in keeping the service in their hands? Did he overstep the line
Peru is not in the business of keeping people in a job, they are responsible for running a city in a cost efficient manner with your tax dollars used wisely. I do realize there are employees on the payroll not living up to what is expected of them but if the ambulance service needs better management, we should be trying to get to that place for the benefit of the residents of this city.
Lois: I agree with your statement that we are responsible for running a city in a cost efficient manner but it seems to me that lately we're spending quite freely. I also agree that I think there needs to be some in-house cleaning. I can't defend PVAS because the rumors (have no verification) seem to indicate a lack of leadership and structure but, I'd have to see in black and white how combining the 2 services would save the city money. If it just means eliminating the $48,000 we pay annually I'd have to say that savings would be wiped out by having to hire and pay a full time fire chief.
If PVAS is overstaffed, so what. It is still costing the city the same amount of money. As a taxcpayer if they have too many people its much better than too few. Mr. Bubb reference was that the city of Peru does not need to create more jobs in the ctiy of Peru, not PVAS. He stated that the City has the most economical and efficient service with PVAS. Don't create more jobs for city employees was his message. His wife working for PVAS, yes he has a interest. But Ald. Perez working for the fire department has no conflict? Payroll not living up to expectations, how do we know that unless we are at PVAS? Payroll not living up to expectations in the City of Peru? Where do we start? Is the street department overstaffed? How about City Hall? For a city of 10,200 we have every title, task, office covered with employees. PVAS overstaffed, so what. When is the presentation for contract firemen?
What cost effective solutions has our city undertaken so far? What are these management problems that seem to be the reason Peru is leaving PVAS? The residents have the right to know why we are changing services. We need to know if we are being carted away by the current new ambulances with paramedic services or some makeshift 15 year old truck with good ole Joe the plumber taking care of your life. Please tell me its not about you don't like the manager or they sound a horn on Marquette Street. Ugly rumors with no verification about PVAS ,is a way to destroy a good organization and place lives in danger.
PVAS is not overstaffed. There is a core group of full and part time employees of about 15 EMTs and paramedics. Beyond that there are about 15-20 POC or paid on call personnel....just like the fire Dept. That means that they cover open shifts vacation days, sick days, transfers Etc. This gives these EMts amd Paramedics a chance to make money. This also alleviates the need to pay overtime to full timers. Smart I think. Most importantly though these people from OUR COMMUNITY are also the ones that show up for all call such as a large accident, multiple calls at the same time, Etc. An out of town FOR PROFIT company will not have these extra people hanging around at home, the mall, Etc to cover these situations. I know several firemen that have EMT certifications and when a larger event like an accident large fire Etc happens they will show up at the fire department not the ambulance service.. They are great at what they do...but.... THEY DO NOT WANT TO BE EMT's. PVAS does a great job, and they have been doing it for over 30 years. Keep up the good work PVAS!!!!!!!!
No offense meant...because its good for LaSalle is it in the best interest for Peru. Beware of rumors in making judgements about PVAS.
All of a sudden Peru Aldermen have this big concern about $48,000 the city pays to have a professional ambulance service? Last week alone they spent millions without a discussion.
lois what are you talking about cost efficient-ever since this new adminsitration has taken over that is the least of their concerns they can wait to spend the mone we dont even have yet
My concern is the 2012 budget for peru...90,000 for police chief, just shy of 3 million to operate the police department, roughly 700,000 to operate the fire department, and 156,000 for elected officials altogether...I'm real glad the city is worried about a measly 48,000 to a service that has worked fine with no major faults for years.
Lois,
As per your comment “And if Mr Bubb's wife is working for PVAS, does that mean he might have a personal interest in keeping the service in their hands? Did he overstep the line Peru is not in the business of keeping people in a job, they are responsible for running a city in a cost efficient manner with your tax dollars used wisely.” I’m curious what line you think I crossed. As a private taxpayer living in the city of Peru, I not only have the right but also in my opinion, the obligation to talk about financial obligations the city may be entering into. The fact that my wife works for PVAS is irrelevant, as this private non-profit organization is neither, owned by, or run by the city of Peru. Peru pays them the yearly rate of $48,000.00 to provide a service that is provided in a professional and cost effective manner. Is this matter personal to me, of course it is. This move could seriously impact my family, does that mean I’m not allowed to comment on the situation? Does that mean that I lose my rights as a taxpayer? Please tell me the line I crossed.
I also am curious what part of the meeting made you make the following comment “One thing that came out of the meeting is that PVAS is possibly an overstaffed service.” I audio taped the entire proceedings and never ran across any public comments from anyone that implied this statement.
I asked alderman Perez a question regarding his comment on the dispatching, because he made it sound like the city was spending money directly to support PVAS activities. When the city insisted years ago to have a central dispatch system, and took over those duties from IVCH, this work was just merged into the present dispatchers duties. Alderman Radtke picked up that same line of questioning and Chief Bernabei closed the discussion by saying that his dispatchers are and would be trained to perform these duties in any instance.
I responded to Chief King’s comment that this is purely business, and not personal, when I said this is very personal to those that are looking to possibly lose their jobs if you go forward with a plan like this. This caused quite a stir in the room, but the fact of the matter is when you are talking about making a change that directly affects upwards of 30 local taxpaying families during an economic recession, it is very personal for all involved.
I keep reading about how the ambulance is mismanaged on this blog, I am curious as to how you come to that conclusion. Unless you work in a business and have first hand knowledge of the inner workings, you are purely speculating on the operation of said business. When I hear of a business that is mismanaged, I expect to see things like a high employee turn over rate, bad credit rating, complaints to state and federal agencies, etc. None of these factors have occurred. Look at the longevity of the employees of PVAS and you will see most of the faces have been there at least as long as most of the faces at PFD.
Tony I am going to assume that you have not been reading this blog or its predecessor and all the past discussions of PVAS. This has been going on for about 3 years.
I briefly went into the archives of this blog and found 2 discussions. They are dated Dec. 06,2010 I Don't Understand PVAS
The second is dated Dec. 16, 2010 PVAS Peru Volunteer Ambulance Persists
Perhaps that will at least give you an overview.
I do believe there are more recent ones but its too late for research tonight.
The archive information is to the left of the comments toward the bottom of the page.
Lois,
You should never assume anything, not only have I read all of these blog posts, I have actually commented as "anon" on some. I am very curious as to why you and the people on this blog feel you have a say in how this organization is run. In your past postings, you have used the term subsidy for the FEE that the city pays to PVAS for a service. This is no different than the FEE the city pays to Chamlin for their services, or Test for their services. Do you tell these organizations that you disagree with their leadership, and meddle in their internal affairs, purely because they contract with the city? How about Peru Little League of Peru Girls softball, which are given subsidies by the park board to run their programs, do you tell their board of directors how to do their jobs?
PVAS is a business, nonprofit, but still a business. It is not now or was it ever a part of the city of Peru. It was started by private citizens, some of whom were city leaders. The city leadership back then certainly helped them get established. But the decision was made to make it a private entity, which it has stayed for all of these years, even though the previous mayor insisted on controlling it. The current board of directors has done the correct thing in further distancing themselves from city control, by increasing the size of their board and adding non-elected officials. Like any corporation’s board of directors the PVAS board is made up of people, in this case volunteers that guide the business decisions of said corporation. The medical direction of PVAS is guided by protocol and law and overseen by the EMS coordinator at IVCH, as is all other local services including LaSalle. A local doctor, in this case I believe Dr. Calderon still holds the position, oversees the entire EMS system.
700,000 to operate a fire department! I bet PSI could do it for less. They would probably retain most of the current staff, but may be able to operate it more effectively for our taxpayers. It would probably cost those who call the fire department more money, similiar to having PSI make ambulance calls. Its our responsibility to review, discuss, research, and have a committee presentation to look this cost saving procedure. A private fire service would be trained just like the current service, think about the savings. Just imagine the savings on all those new vehicles that the fire department administrators ride along. Oh they do a great job and all that, but like the Ald.Perez said...its putting together the fiscal year we need to look at ways to cut costs. Its right in front of you now! Lets see where we go with that?
9:59 PM
Yes as a private citizen you have a right to always express your opinion on any action taken by the city, just as anyone whether a resident or not does. Most people who are the spouse of someone working for the city or other business in which the city might be involved usually recuse themselves from comment. Possibly because they may have information that is not to be put forth publicly simply due to their association with their spouse.You have answered your own question by stating if your wife lost her job, it might seriously affect your family.
The comments you have read for the last 3 years are not things people are making up.
I have read the bylaws and recently revised bylaws and even posted them and in my opinion there are serious problems with the content of this document and the make up of the Board of Directors and again that is my opinion. Again it is called Freedom of Speech.
Also the information about employees came from the writeup in the N.T. from a quote by Mark Roberson.
Maybe the city should be looking into hiring a company for the fire department and forget about an ambulance as they might be able to bring forth cheaper rates as opposed to the outrageous operating budget set forth in the fiscal year 2012. PVAS is only costing 48,000 dollars-a flat rate. The city has no other obligations for anything-insurance, equipment, training, benefits, so on in comparison to what it does for the VOLUNTEER fire department. I'm sorry but this is not a true volunteer department in my opinion. Yes they get to choose which calls they want to respond to but how many come running out to help in a medical emergency as opposed to a fire or car accident? Also, if they are supposed to be volunteer why do they set aside pay them...and a hefty amount I might say according to a past post. No matter what call they go on the get the same rate is what my understanding was from that post and that is funny cause I've heard through the grapevine that this is 2.5 times more than what the medics make in one hour-3 times for the basics. Who is costing the city more?
Please be reminded that the City of Peru does not own PVAS. As stated many times, PVAS is a PRIVATE entity. The concern of the taxpayers revolve around the fact that the City is subsidizing a PRIVATE business and is the subsidy being spent in the most fiscally responsible fashion possible. Does the City subsidize any other privately owned business in town? Also, do you not believe there have been conflicts of interest in the management of the PVAS and their board members? Too "close" of a relationship for City Alderman & prior Mayor to be involved in a PRIVATELY owned business being paid City money approved by those same alderman and mayor?? Also, if there is nothing to hide, why not share the books? HIPPA will not be violated with accounting reports. If the taxpayers are screaming for accountability, please defend yourself and open the books. Nobody wants to see 30 employees loose their jobs in this economy, but I personally sat in a meeting where a rep from the PVAS stated that half.. at least HALF of their calls are not billable!! She even made mention of the fact that they sometimes receive up to 3 calls a day from the same person. She went as far to even let us know on many occasions that "ambulance staff pottied the elderly person and put them to bed." Should the city taxpayers pay for personal care taking services? I am sympathetic to an older person that is lonely and in need, but does an EMERGENCY ambulance service need to handle this area of hospitality? Not only once, but at least HALF of their annual PVAS activity? Does anybody else in the city in a PRIVATELY owned business give away HALF of their revenue stream? Please answer my questions and concerns. I am a taxpayer too.
1:23PM
The city needs a FD and they also need an ambulance service and at this time neither seems to be functioning at a top notch level.
I agree that problems need to be worked out at the FD and I do believe the Mayor needs to be involved but not the police dept.
Both the FD and the Ambulance service seem to need more oversight so perhaps another privately managed company might benefit the citizen and although it might look like another expense perhaps a private company would be watchful of money spent vs money brought in.
At ANON 146
As a concerned taxpayer, you can have your questions answered if you take the time to do so. Have you tried going to the FD or Ambulance and asking? I'm sure if you do they will be more than happy to give you answers...its called an
FOIA and we (taxpayers) all have rights to them. Finding answers from here is not always the best choice.
Lois, well stated. I hope Rodney includes both services in his proposal. Many other cities have private FD.
2:58 PM
FOIA applies to governments and I don't think that you can FOIA a not for profit privately run agency. If that were possible, I believe someone would have done that years ago.
1:46 PM
I have the same concerns and was aware that PVAS makes numerous trips for what they term "lift assist" and as stated sometimes numerous times. I don't know what the answer is to this but I believe it is something that needs to be addressed. I did not know they were not billable. So it seems that the on duty EMTS who are paid hourly help the individual but there is no reimbursement from insurance, medicare or medicaid.
Each time they go for the "assist", they get a signed refusal from the patient that they refused to be transported to any area hospital.
Even if its not an emergency to you...it is to someone. Take a look at what the EMS Code of Ethics states and try to understand that their jobs go way beyond what the concerned taxpayers believe. Maybe it will bring some clarity to your questions in regards to their choices in patient care.
A fundamental responsibility of the Emergency Medical Technician is to conserve life, to alleviate suffering, to promote health, to do no harm, and to encourage the quality and equal availability of emergency medical care.
The Emergency Medical Technician provides services based on human need, with respect for human dignity, unrestricted by consideration of nationality, race creed, color, or status.
The Emergency Medical Technician does not use professional knowledge and skills in any enterprise detrimental to the public well being.
The Emergency Medical Technician respects and holds in confidence all information of a confidential nature obtained in the course of professional work unless required by law to divulge such information.
The Emergency Medical Technician, as a citizen, understands and upholds the law and performs the duties of citizenship; as a professional, the Emergency Medical Technician has the never-ending responsibility to work with concerned citizens and other health care professionals in promoting a high standard of emergency medical care to all people.
The Emergency Medical Technician shall maintain professional competence and demonstrate concern for the competence of other members of the Emergency Medical Services health care team.
An Emergency Medical Technician assumes responsibility in defining and upholding standards of professional practice and education.
The Emergency Medical Technician assumes responsibility for individual professional actions and judgment, both in dependent and independent emergency functions, and knows and upholds the laws which affect the practice of the Emergency Medical Technician.
An Emergency Medical Technician has the responsibility to be aware of and participate in matters of legislation affecting the Emergency Medical Service System.
The Emergency Medical Technician, or groups of Emergency Medical Technicians, who advertise professional service, do so in conformity with the dignity of the profession.
The Emergency Medical Technician has an obligation to protect the public by not delegating to a person less qualified, any service which requires the professional competence of an Emergency Medical Technician
The Emergency Medical Technician will work harmoniously with and sustain confidence in Emergency Medical Technician associates, the nurses, the physicians, and other members of the Emergency Medical Services health care team.
The Emergency Medical Technician refuses to participate in unethical procedures, and assumes the responsibility to expose incompetence or unethical conduct of others to the appropriate authority in a proper and professional manner.
This is all about money, not service to Peru. Harl is looking at the statistics - he can get more unionized employees and send the bill to MEDICARE. Everyday 10,000 people turn 65. Peru's population is not getting younger. Harl is banking on this - funny thing is though, what happens when MEDICARE can't pay?
3:10 PM
Both the original commenter and I understand all you have written.
Police and Firemen are considered public servants because they are employed by a city."A civil servant or public servant is a person in the public sector employed for a government department or agency"
What the responsibility of an EMT that is employed by a private agency is, I guess would be determined by that agency. But PVAS is not totally private as they are given taxpayer money.
I am going to say they you could look
near and far and not find a similar set up to the one we have in Peru. If you find them, I think we need to talk.
ANONYMOUS 2:59 i DO BELIEVE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PVAS AND PERU FIRE IS THAT THE PERU FIRE IS NOT A SEPARATE ENTITY FROM THE CITY AS PVAS IS. THERE IS A UNION BARGAINING UNIT FOR THE PERU F.D. AND THEY MAKE UP THE CONTRACT. THAT MAY HAVE BEEN SOMETHING FOR THE CITY TO CONSIDER YEARS AGO, BUT NOW THE CITY OWNS THEM AND THE IFFA ( ILLINOIS FIREFIGHTERS ASSOCIATION )CONTROLS IT.
WHERE PVAS'S PROBLEM IS, IS THAT THEY ARE JUST LIKE ANY OTHER CONTRACTOR, IF THE CITY DECIDES THEY WANT THEIR OWN AMBULANCE SERVICE ALL THEY HAVE TO DO IS TAKE A VOTE. FIRE AND POLICE ARE PROTECTED BY FEDERAL AND STATE REGULATIONS WHERE AN AMBULANCE SERVICE LIKE PVAS CAN BE TOSSED AT ANYTIME AND TAKEN OVER BY THE CITY.
I GUESS THE AMB. BOARD SHOULD HAVE TRIED TO LOCK IN A CONTRACT WITH THE CITY BECAUSE IT SURE SOUNDS LIKE THEIR SCREWED!
AS FAR AS FINANCIALS FROM PVAS GOES? FORGET IT!! THEY CAN AND SURE THEY ARE MICKEY MOUSING THEIR BOOKS TO MAKE IT LOOK LIKE THEY ARE POOR AND SCRAPING BY, I WOULD IMAGINE THE CITY IS/HAS DONE HOMEWORK BECAUSE IT WILL NOT TAKE A SCIENTIST TO FIGURE OUT THEY ARE MAKING GOOD MONEY. IF I DO RE-CALL LAST YEAR HEARING THAT PVAS WAS GOING TO HAVE TO FIRE HALF OF THEIR CREW SINCE THEY LOST SERVICE IN LASALLE, I WOULD HAVE TO GO FIND THE POST BUT I THINK SOMEONE SAID PVAS HAS OVER 30 EMPLOYEES? SOUNDS LIKE THEY HIRED AND NOT FIRED.
MR.CURIOUS
Sorry mr. curious but pvas has like 50-60 on the payroll, they may be able to mess with you verbally on how much they make but I'm sure you can find their financial information very easy, regardless if they are a non for profit you can still see it all.it's actually easier with a 501c.
Yes, many cities have private fire departments.
No PVAS does not have 50-60 employees or POCs. Go down there walk in the door and ask. I don't think anyone has walked in there and asked the questions you all say are being hidden. Lois I was standing in the kitchen area of PVAS when the director invited you in to see the building and show you what we do here. You were there picking up info that you got freely and were not even asked to fill out foia request. Your answer to him was. "I don't have time". I was there I heard you .
Yes I did go to the ambulance bldg for a copy of the revised by laws. I had asked Ald. Ankiewicz and he told me to just go down and get a copy which I did. I was also asked by Mark Roberson if I wanted the nickel tour of the bldg and I refused as I did not have time as I had come with someone who was waiting for me. I did not think a tour of the bldg was something I needed to see, I vote there all the time. I have no questions about the equipment or building, it is the structure of the organization and the bylaws that concern me and I could be wrong but I believe the people on the board may have the answers most people are looking for.
What do the by laws have to do with the operation of the ambulance service? Ask the specific questions that are relevant to the business of saving lives. If you have problems with the qualifications of the staff or the financial matters of this organization, please bring those to light. Meet with the Director, call a Board member, call the doctor advisor, call a member of PVAS.
What organization would require their board to have elected politicians sitting on their board? I have talked to board members aka as Peru aldermen, going back to Ald. Mikyska.
so the way I read these blogs, if you were walking toward the mall from your car and an elderly lady fell and could not get herself back up, you would either pass her by doing nothing or stop and help her up then send her a bill? But if the people who man your ambulance service, who get paid for the hours they work not the number of calls they do, go to someones house and helps them up, checks them out and deems that they do not need a hospital visit, you want to bill the CITIZENS of your town extra for the "service". And perhaps your mother, sick, falls, makes a mess, is scared and 911 is called, and the people who come with the ambulance take the time to do the above, then because they have a HEART they clean her up, clean up the mess and make sure she is safe in bed and the doors locked...you want to be critical of them for doing this? If this is the care the people who man the PVAS ambulance, then I say KEEP THEM they have more of a heart than most of you on this blog and to them it is more than a job, it really is about CARING for people. What if that was your mother? What if she sometimes needed help once or twice on a bad day. You should thank god the people who serve this town DO THESE THINGS. You should not replace them, you should welcome them and praise them. Shame on your all, it is not ALWAYS just about the money.
I wonder how many closed session meetings the mayor has with department heads such as police chief Bernabei and fire chief king that we taxpayers and ALDERMAN don't know about, and don't know of subject matter. This does happen! You have to love those closed session meetings. Eventually. It all comes out, in my opinion!!
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