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A volunteer group of retirees, known as the Skidaway Island First Responders, are in a dispute with Chatham County emergency officials over dispatching to emergency calls in their community.
Credit: Facebook screenshot
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Skidaway volunteer group disputes with Chatham over emergency calls
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A group of volunteer first responders living in The Landings, a wealthy enclave on Skidaway Island, has battled Chatham officials for months in a dispute over responding to emergency calls in their community.
The plight of the Skidaway Island First Responders, a group of impassioned retirees averaging about 71 years of age, comes at a time when Chatham County 911 dispatchers are experiencing severe challenges getting ambulances and paramedics to emergencies quickly.
According to SIFR, their group aided paramedics for years by being first on scene for emergencies on Skidaway (the group says they served the entire island of 10,000 people, of which 8,500 live in The Landings).
Their help was as simple as providing shade to someone experiencing heat stroke or helping a patient get their information together before a paramedic’s arrival, according to Kelly Gordon, president of the group. They are trained in CPR and first aid and always have a member on call.
Last fall, the county cut them off from being dispatched to calls before ambulances arrived, Gordon said. Chatham County and Chatham Emergency Services (the county runs 911 dispatch and CES is a private company contracted by the county to run ambulances) did so after discovering SIFR didn’t have an emergency responder license.
Gordon contends they don’t actually need one if they have the county’s blessing. She cited an exemption in Georgia law for responders who help in emergency responses but ultimately leave the real work to trained paramedics.
“The county is making a decision, aside from the fact that it is a dangerous tightrope they’re walking, (and) they are setting themselves up for a lot of lawsuits and a lot of problems because ultimately, somebody is going to die because we’re out of service,” Gordon said.
Chuck Kearns, CEO of Chatham Emergency Services, said his company and the county have made numerous efforts to accommodate SIFR, including telling The Landings’ security when ambulances are coming so they can communicate that information to the first responders.
But ultimately, according to Kearns, the issue comes down to SIFR not having an emergency responder license. Having one would mean the county would not be liable for health privacy violations or malpractice lawsuits should the volunteers work in tandem with their paramedics, he said.
“We have sliced and diced this situation for months trying to figure out something that will work. I won’t go against my legal advice and put my company in jeopardy,” Kearns said.
“I’m not in charge of dispatching anymore,” Kearns added, “It’s between them and the county.” Chatham County took over dispatching emergency units and 911 calls following the demerger of the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department in 2018. CES now dispatches its own ambulances while Chatham dispatches all other emergency units, like fire and police.
Kearns said SIFR must follow rules and regulations if they want to work with his company. Kearns has asked the group to get licensed but they refused, he said. Gordon countered they don’t need to be licensed and the mandatory testing and training is too cumbersome for their group of retirees.
Between the ongoing issues at the county’s 911 center and an elderly retired population in need of care, Gordon said letting the group work should be a no-brainer. She pointed to what County Commissioner Dean Kicklighter purportedly said in a recent meeting trying to mediate the conflict:
“‘These people are begging to work for free. Where’s the disconnect?’”
The Tide brings regular notes and observations on news and events by The Current staff.
This story comes to GPB through a reporting partnership with The Current.
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