Response time deserves attention

Published 12:01 am Friday, November 6, 2015

Adams County Supervisor David Carter wears many hats: husband, father, elected official and horse expert.

He’s considered a master of many things, but he’s rarely been called “flighty.”

But Carter challenged the board of supervisors to look to the skies recently and consider the possibilities, all in the name of safety.

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Carter recently asked the county government to consider how to improve slow response times with the two local ambulance companies, prompted by a resident who had an inordinately long wait time.

This week, he suggested the county talk with a local, private air ambulance company to consider the costs of providing county-wide service.

Improving the time for first responders to make it to a scene of an emergency and getting the injured to the best care possible quickly is important, and we’re happy Carter has broached the subject.

Government gets involved in many, many things — some of which are best left to the private sector — but helping pool resources to improve first-responder access is definitely on the government’s top-priority list.

We urge Carter and other city and county leaders to keep up the assessment work so that the public can be informed of what options exist for improving responses. With that “menu” in hand the public can help guide elected officials to choose the option the majority of residents are most likely to need and the most willing to support.