Back in 2013, we published a front-page article about a Damariscotta man’s near-death experience – he had a heart problem while playing tennis – and how a crew from the Central Lincoln County Ambulance Service saved his life.
We rarely report on medical emergencies due to confidentiality laws that prevent ambulance services from discussing them with us without permission from the patient. In this case, the grateful beneficiary both told his story and encouraged the ambulance service to speak with us.
It was a rare opportunity to highlight the excellent work of our local paramedics and emergency medical technicians in a specific case.
The headline of the article was “Local ambulance crew saves Damariscotta man’s life.” A reporter objected to the headline as less than newsworthy. “They do that every day,” she said.
The comment illustrates the importance of our local ambulance services. What other agency or organization literally saves lives every day (or close)? Our local hospital, surely, but the hospital relies on the ambulance services to give them a chance.
This week, the front page reports new leadership at two of our local ambulance services, CLC Ambulance and the Wiscasset Ambulance Service.
Both services have encountered challenges in recent months with transitions in leadership and other issues: for CLC Ambulance, a sharp drop in revenue for nonemergency transports, and for Wiscasset Ambulance, uncertainty about its future.
These new hires should represent a new era for both agencies. The agencies and their new leaders deserve our support as they enter these new eras.
What could be more important than to know, whenever you or a family member or a co-worker or a stranger on the street experiences a medical emergency or injury, there is lifesaving EMS care a few minutes away?
Ambulance services save lives every day. No big deal.
