Scioto County’s first responder shortage was in the spotlight again after a man was injured in Otway.
At 3:47 am, a Perry Road man contacted 911 to report that he’d sustained a bad cut to his arm and was bleeding heavily. He had wrapped up the injury but needed medical attention. Due to the condition of the access road to his home, he said he would meet an ambulance at the end of the drive.
Getting the ambulance proved to be something of a challenge. Dispatch sent out two alerts before contacting Union Township for assistance. It also took two alerts to get a response from the Union squad.
It also took a couple of tries to get a squad dispatched to a West Portsmouth home at 10:30 am. The first squad dispatched did not have a crew available. However, another squad was able to respond to the scene.
At 3:20 pm, an elderly South Webster woman set off a medical alarm saying there was something wrong with her hands. When the alarm company contacted 9-1-1, they send out two alerts for a squad before they were advised that there was only one EMT on duty and advised them to contact Portsmouth Ambulance.
