Ambulance district
July 1st, 2010 by 
Alica
Minnehaha County Commissioners have created a new ambulance district, which includes Valley Springs. MED-Star of Brandon and Rural/Metro of Sioux Falls both have said they plan to apply to be the designated ambulance service for that area.
Which do you think should get the contract, and why?
Posted in Uncategorized, Ambulance | 
July 1st, 2010 at 2:32 pm
From what I hear they are not the most reliable service. I have heard that they call and give the wrong hospital the heads up that they are coming. BUT, there is probably stories out there on Rural Metro also that I just haven’t heard.
July 2nd, 2010 at 2:54 am
seems to me reading the city council minutes from the past to current years MedStar is subsized to some extent..love the scare tactics always used..we can get there quicker. so what fire depts are more than capable of stabalizing a patient..at least fire doesnt disregard a chopper just to ground transport a patient to get the money when a chopper would have gotten the patient to the hospital quicker. i would think quality would be preferred over response anyday
July 2nd, 2010 at 8:06 am
so i would like to know how true the 1st posting is. if it is true that is very scary.
July 5th, 2010 at 7:25 pm
To #9: What, you expected all those things to be researched and answered during a holiday weekend?
July 6th, 2010 at 1:08 pm
The issue, in my opinion, is whether the county (like the City of Brandon) is going to create a substandard set of guidelines so that MedStar will qualify. I am not sure why the County or the City of Brandon feel that people in eastern Minnehaha County deserve a lessor quality of care.
This not necessarily a bad rap to Medstar. They are a very, very small service compared to Rural Metro. The average tenure of Medstar’s medics is probably 1/10 to that of Rural Metros. Rural Metro is CAAS certified — the highest accreditation an ambulance service can receive in this country.
This issue is about who can better serve the people in eastern Minnehaha County. Whereas response time to the scene might be a small part of quality care, the bigger issue is whether the medic sitting in back knows what to do when a patient starts to deteriorate. Transport times to hospitals in Sioux Falls will be anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes from out in the county. (Longer in bad weather). It doesn’t matter how fast the ambulance got there if the people on board don’t have experience critically thinking their way through a ‘bad’ call.
July 6th, 2010 at 2:37 pm
To #13: I’ll tell you what. I’ll do my best to reply to the questions that have been asked on this forum thread. It takes time, though, plus there are vacation conflicts all this month. So give me some time.
Right now I can tell you, though, this stuff in response to #8’s questions:
1.
As for Masur saying the city gets his service for free, that technically is correct. The city pays the first $2,000 for quality assurance, which the city contracts with someone other than MED-Star.
2. That the stuff about the number of intubations and the like are considered private business and will not be disclosed. We’ve asked that question several times and are told that by everyone we ask. (To #13: We have reported as much in several news stories.)
3. Don’t know.
4. As far as I know, he has the same medical director he always had. I don’t know about online medical control. His current situation must be ok with the city, because they granted him a license. Time will tell whether his situation is ok with the county.
5.Don’t know.
July 7th, 2010 at 10:06 am
To #15:
Please note that my name is spelled Alica.
2. If it is a breech of HIPPA to divulge procedure success rates, doesn’t that confirm what I said, that the information is not for public consumption?
4. What fact are you looking for? The fact is, the city licenses MED-Star. That is proof the city council thinks his situation is acceptable.
July 7th, 2010 at 12:29 pm
Why, again, do you want to know these things?
July 7th, 2010 at 2:05 pm
That last part sounds like one of those “You know what they say about corn syrup” statements.
July 7th, 2010 at 4:46 pm
A buddy of mine on Sioux Falls Fire told me that Jay was at the Sioux Falls city picnic on July 4th. You got to be kidding me! Now Jay is courting the City of Sioux Falls?
Jay, I know you are reading this, so I would like to make an appeal to you. You do not have the skills to run an EMS operation the size of Sioux Falls. You do not have the management skills to manage the staff required to run an EMS operation in Sioux Falls. Most notably, and if you were truly honest with yourself, you do not have the knowledge to run an operation in Sioux Falls.
People’s lives are at stake, Jay. This shouldn’t be about your massive ego or trying to settle a score that is a decade old. This should be about what is best of the community and YOU ARE NOT what is best for a community the size of Sioux Falls.
You snowed the Brandon City Council (with the help of your business partner, friend, and city alderman, Steve Rubin). You have obviously snowed Minnehaha County. Your ability to deceive is well noted. But again, lives are at stake. Think about it, Jay. Put your petty indifferences aside and do the right thing for once.
July 8th, 2010 at 9:45 am
So Alicia has made it clear that she is not interested in doing any real journalism anymore. Thanks for the fluff Alicia.
As long as private pt information that identifies WHO a patient is, or information that could potentially identify a pt is removed, you are not anywhere near the information protected by HIPAA.
Statistics are not touched. Beings they are awarded public contracts, this information should be part of the application process. Quality of care is a lot faster than who gets their faster. If all we cared about was who gets their faster why not throw an ambulance in the Brandon Fire station and let them haul patients. They have plenty of EMT’s.
Alicia, we are BEGGING you to ASK these questions. Ask Faron Wahl at Rural Metro what the statistics are for their procedures? Ask Jay Masur what the statistics are for their procedures? Contact Metro Communications and ask how many code 3 calls medstar responded to? Rural Metro? How many patients were transported code 3? How many times did both call the helicopter?
If you don’t want to ask these questions maybe you could pass them on to someone who isn’t afraid to ask a hard question? If Jay or Faron won’t answer these questions why don’t you ask why? Ask if they are hiding something? Contact the state office of EMS for statistics, they collect them all.
Maybe you should call the Valley Springs Volunteer Fire Department and ask them what THEY think of MED Star and if THEY want them to come to Valley?
Your first response was that it was a holiday weekend, and that is why you didn’t get on it. NOw your excuse is that you are busy eating a bon bon so you can’t do it.
We are sick of this status quo attitude about our lives. Just because the city of Brandon approved the license doesn’t mean they are aware of reality. The fact that NO OTHER AMBULANCE APPLIED might have something to do with it.
Jay wants to play games with our lives, the Challenger and Argus apparently want to help. The Council and Commissioners are snowed to think that who gets there quicker is the most important part. If they guy who shows up at your door first can’t start an iv, has missed 3 intubations out of 4, and doesn’t know when to call for more help, what good were they in coming at all?
Again, EMT basics could drive a truck fast… We want to know what kind of quality we are getting with this super dooper response time.
July 8th, 2010 at 10:03 am
Since Alicia won’t ask them, email our commissioners:
kmcfarland@minnehahacounty.org, rwilson@minnehahacounty.org, jbarth@minnehahacounty.org, ahajek@minnehahacounty.org, dkelly@minnehahacounty.org, jpekas@minnehahacounty.org, jpekas@sio.midco.net, ctwedt@minnehahacounty.org
July 8th, 2010 at 2:18 pm
To #22: Please note my name is spelled Alica.
This week editor Jill is on vacation so I’m doing her work in addition to my own, and it is a short week. Next week I am on vacation. The last week of July, the Dell Rapids editor will be on vacation and I will have to do her work in addition to my own.
I am not afraid to ask hard questions. If you ask around to my family and friends, you will discover that the only thing I really am afraid of is unexpected public incontinence. (Not yours. Mine.)
If you would like to discuss this further, let’s meet in person and discuss this over a bon bon. I can be reached at apthiele@argusleader.com or 331-2376.
July 9th, 2010 at 7:00 am
everyone needs to step back, take a deep breath and relax, other wise you might need med star
July 9th, 2010 at 9:48 am
Good point #25.
July 9th, 2010 at 8:44 pm
A couple of points:
• MedStar does not have an ambulance license in Minnehaha County. To get one they will have to meet the standards in our ordinance as reviewed by our Quality Assurance Director, Doctor Luther.
• It is difficult to take seriously allegations by a disgruntled former employee who chooses to remain anonymous.
• I feel that response time for ambulance service is important. If time was not a criteria we could wait for a response from Omaha (they may have more experience… ).
There is much to study on the ambulance issue. There are others who have contacted us over the years with different perspectives then are represented in this blog. For me the only criteria is what is best for public safety.
July 10th, 2010 at 4:08 pm
Can Medstar run calls North of Corson?
The Omaha comparison is just silly.
July 11th, 2010 at 7:11 am
No, MedStar does not run calls outside of Brandon.
Saying that response time is not important is more silly.
How long should someone wait for an ambulance? Five minutes, 30 minutes, 50 minutes? I would suggest that when your family member is in need that any delay is too long.
July 11th, 2010 at 11:28 am
Quality is the issue. I have worked at both Medstar and Rural Metro. Both
respond within fair reason ,but Rural Metro has the quality where Medstar
does not. Medstar’s training is poor. Med star’s training consists of Jay
reading off the wall from a video projector and missing half the words.
The training officer of Medstar comes to monthly training sessions most
times 1/2 hour late and spends a 1/2 complaining about being there. Most
days if a medic is trying to get daily practice with the mannequin and
equipment they are interrupted by Jay having a fit about his laundromat
and pulling medics to go clean it with a toothbrush. Don’t laugh people it
happens.
At rural metro you get training , you can seek training, you get quality
feedback. Granted they aren’t perfect on the employee relations , neither
is Medstar. BUT you have medics with better training, whom have been
exposed to more situations , and if you ask for additional training you
are able get it. You also know you won’t be pulled from that training to
clean the laundromat.
Consistency and availability will also be a huge factor for Medstar. Jay
usually overbooks transfers. Four trucks out and only one for 911? What
happens if you have multiple calls for ALS out in the county and you
can’t provide the service? Then what? Yes transfers make the money , but
if you want the prestige of being a county ALS 911 provider, you better
make darn sure you are staffed for it, have a plan , and not just fly by
the seat of your pants as you have been.
After having worked at both and not being impressed with either one as
far as employee relations goes , no job is perfect. But I side with
consistent and overall performance of Rural Metro. Rural Metro should
stay the county ALS provider. Medstar is far too inconsistent, poorly
managed from the inside , and not dependable to provide consistent service.
July 11th, 2010 at 5:27 pm
Jeff,
No one here said response time wasn’t important.
And as far as waiting…. Same old scare tactics. There’s more to it. You can have someone on scene in 4 minutes but if they can’t get the tube or IV it doesn’t matter! Stand and watch that with your loved one and I believe you will understand. If I remember right the average code 3 response time for Rural Metro was maybe 8 minutes to brandon, and for you to say 30-50 minutes is silly. Show statistics of past deaths due to lack of response time please.
Why did Medstar run a call North of Corson Friday night?
July 11th, 2010 at 7:52 pm
Mr Barth,
May I suggest that you and the other commissioners take a step back and really study this issue? Talk with other counties, states, and municipalities. I will even go out on a limb and say that rarely, if ever, will you find an ambulance district with ’soft boundaries.’ Mutual aid agreements, yes. A free for all, no. Never. Accountability is key. EMS equals public safety. Public safety is not a business like insurance or a hardware store. Competition should never be at the heart of public safety, otherwise I have to assume that you are going to solicit bids for private police services and private fire services. And while you are at it, how about road maintenance? Why should the county employees be the only ones that maintain the roads if I have a road grader and can do it sooner? The heck with whether I do it right, just as long as I do it faster, right?
And since I am on the subject of county roads….our roads are in shambles. And why? Because you and the other commissioners choose the lowest bid and the bid that promises the fastest completion time. And every year we pay the price. And we pay more in the long run because the same roads need to be done over and over again.
You can use a million different metaphors to compare response times to quality, and every time it will come down to quality. That is, assuming you know anything at all about the medical industry. This isn’t a matter of bashing Medstar, although by your comments it is clear that you are siding with Medstar. It is about quality of care.
So, let me ask you….if you or one of your loved ones suddenly and without explanation collapsed, are you going to be satisfied that the ambulance service arrived in 4 minutes but couldn’t, for life of them, figure out what was wrong, and just tossed you or your loved one on the cot and started driving real fast? Or would you rather wait 8-10 minutes and have an ambulance crew that has seen this problem before, knows how to treat it, and more importantly, has the skills to treat it? Would you rather have a crew that has a good working relationship with all four hospitals in Sioux Falls, or a crew that has a tepid relationship with one hospital is Sioux Falls?
How about quality control? Medstar’s quality assurance is a joke, and if you really thought about it, you would have to agree. They are paying for their own quality assurance. What if Dr. Jacobus disagreed with something Medstar was doing? What are the repercussions? Will any medics lose their licenses? The answer is no. Hiring your own quality assurance in EMS is like a bank hiring their own FDIC examiners. There needs to be an outside party involved that doesn’t have a financial link to the company. Based on the current scenario, Medstar could decide they are going to start doing surgery in the field because there is no governing body like REMSA to tell them they can’t.
I can promise you that should you choose to grant an expanded license to Medstar, they will camp outside all the wealthy neighborhoods. They will run a database (easily done, by the way) as to who has insurance and who doesn’t…and conveniently not be available for addresses listed as Medicare, Medicaid, or no insurance.
Should you choose to push for Medstar to expand their territory, and do so in the face of obvious poor common sense, then it will be an interesting reelection campaign for you and the others.
July 14th, 2010 at 6:47 am
ata boy Doug well said.
July 14th, 2010 at 10:12 am
Nice posts #36 & #37.
July 14th, 2010 at 10:36 am
Your tenor has changed and I’m glad that you recognize my points.
The accountability of whether MED-Star is doing their job to an acceptable level ultimately is answered by the community through your elected officials.
I would suggest that you take your march to city hall, if they will give you time to voice your concerns.
I want to restate that some of this discouragement is injurious to the community and surrounding areas. It could bring down all first responders as some people tend to apply a wide brush to issues.
Thank you for not “blasting” back but offering a consise summary of your issue.
Doug
July 14th, 2010 at 3:51 pm
to #41…I will be honest I want the one w/ the experience that might be a few minutes/secs slower!
GREAT POST!
July 14th, 2010 at 5:23 pm
“In your last post you suggested that just because our elected officals deem Medstar acceptable that it is so. That was the whole point of this discussion….”
I was hoping it would appear that I was suggesting that by applying public pressure (by attending their meetings) the elected officials would, in turn, hold the standards of accountability. My bad.
July 14th, 2010 at 8:29 pm
Alica,
I don’t live in Brandon, so I don’t really care who runs the ambulance service. I do work in journalism. It is a down right disgrace how one-sided you are. You clearly have your favorite. Journalism should be objective - a third-person neutral point of view. You’re obviously a MED-star fan and it comes shining through. You highlight facts that support MED-star, minimize facts that support Rural Metro. Thats not journalism, thats advocacy.
July 14th, 2010 at 9:05 pm
To #46: I think Mr. Masur might disagree with you. I invite you to visit with me in person. I can be reached at 331-2376 orapthiele@argusleader.com.
July 14th, 2010 at 11:16 pm
I wish the discussion on this issue could be more constructive. The writer Andre Gide said, “speak to those who seek the truth, avoid those that have found it.” Is there anyone here who seeks the truth? Or do we all already know it?
And as for me I would ask that you not assume you know what I think.
July 15th, 2010 at 7:57 am
Jeff,
It started out constructive until we started getting the run around about getting questions answered.
And as far as your quote….we are trying to seek the truth. That’s the whole point. No one will answer to the truth. NO we don’t know it because NO ONE will give the answers.
Will hold my judgment until the reporters are done with vacation and have time to interview Mr. Masur.
July 15th, 2010 at 9:27 am
The Challenger staff will be asking the questions you are wanting to know. The deadline for services to apply for the ambulance contract is Sept. 1. We will ask the same questions of all of the services that apply for the Brandon/Valley Springs area district then, as we cannot assume that MED-Star and Rural/Metro may be the only services to apply. Thank you for your patience.
July 15th, 2010 at 11:11 am
First of all, thank you Alicia and Jill, I believe that you will ask the questions. But don’t think you will get the answers from MS. Jeff, Then you had better be more careful when you speak in the limelight as the papers quote you! There is nothing else for me to believe other than your words. Your mind is made up. Very sad because you have not done any in depth any thing. I have a quote for you that I saw the other day” I wish my wife was a dirty as my jeep” makes about as much sense as yours.
July 15th, 2010 at 11:55 am
Mr. Barth,
Is it true that you and Jay Masur quite frequently have coffee in Brandon? If so, have you had coffee with the management staff at Rural Metro? Garretson Ambulance? If you are going to deny it, then next time I will have someone take pictures.
Concerning my other questions: If you believe there should be competition in EMS, i.e. public safety, then are you going to pursue competition with police services? Fire Services? Let’s face it, police and fire getting to the scene as quickly as possible is important, too.
Your quote, while quite stirring, leaves one to wonder where your mind is. So I will leave you with this quote:
Those that portray themselves as seekers of the truth are often the ones that fail to ever find it.
In other words, sometimes the truth is right in front of you. Jay Masur is an egotist. He doesn’t care about public safety. He cares about his image, and about settling a score with Rural Metro (then Sioux Falls Ambulance) from over a decade ago. If you truly cared about the truth, Mr. Barth, you would talk to those that have worked with and for Jay Masur. You would go talk to the city administrators in Aberdeen and Huron. You would talk to the emergency room doctors at both hospitals.
Unfortunately, though, you are probably going to stick with your ‘fastest is best’ theory to hide whatever agenda you and Jay have concocted.
Alica and Jill - Garbage in, garbage out. You can ask for statistics from Jay and he can tell you anything he wants, because there is no way for you to authenticate his numbers. Again, the only governing body for MedStar is a chiropractor that MedStar hired to be their medical director. Otherwise, the only local criteria that MedStar has to meet is showing up fast.
July 15th, 2010 at 4:36 pm
Anyone can make any statistic look the way they want it to. It is all in the actual fact reporting (honesty) and in the interpretation. Just because a company “reports” something does not mean it is factual (ie. response times). This goes for ALL companies…
July 15th, 2010 at 11:45 pm
To #54: What is my image, exactly?
July 16th, 2010 at 5:26 am
I agree, #55. If a medic attempts an IV three times and gets it on the third try, but only documents one try, the numbers are going to be skewed. Same for intubations. Same for any advanced procedure.
Again, there is no one watching MedStar except a chiropractor that MedStar pays.
July 16th, 2010 at 12:05 pm
#57 I agree with your comment. That being said, response times for Rural Metro can also skewed. From personal experience I know - waited over 1/2 hour for them. Could have been at the ER with MedStar or driving myself faster in that amount of time.
Again, ALL statistics can be manipulated.
July 16th, 2010 at 12:45 pm
#58, if all you care about is how fast an ambulance can get to your door, then you should be happy with the quality of care you get from a service that runs 350 calls per year versus a service that runs 11,000 calls per year.
Assuming Mr. Barth rams MedStar into the new ambulance district, I hope I do not hear a lot of complaining about poor treatment from people like yourself when you need an ambulance and MedStar shows up.
July 16th, 2010 at 3:48 pm
OK #1 wait for R/M to get there.
#2 have Medstar get there in
a short time, with medics
#3 Brandon start a vol amb
service with basics,
interm???
July 19th, 2010 at 9:49 am
?
July 19th, 2010 at 9:52 am
They would’ve needed 2 rigs for that. So would they have taken the ONE guaranteed to Brandon and we would’ve gone without for a couple of hours?
July 19th, 2010 at 9:36 pm
This entire blog concerns me. I wear a medic alert bracelet for “difficult tracheal intubation” at the insistence of several medical professionals. I am neither old, or obese - which are the common causes of this condition. I live just outside of the Brandon city limits, but make several daily trips within Brandon for kids in school, grocery shopping, etc. All I wish for, and yes, expect, is that if I am involved in an accident or emergency of some type within the Brandon area, I receive care from a professional who knows how to administer the emergency care I require. I have children to raise, a family to care for. I don’t want to die due to a lack of knowledge or experience.
July 20th, 2010 at 1:25 pm
To #22: As you may have figured by editor Jill’s post, your questions will be answered in the course of our regular reporting as the county deadline for applications passes.
We all hope Brandon folks don’t need an ambulance in the first place. And if they do, we all hope they are safely taken care of and transported.
July 22nd, 2010 at 12:36 pm
I am a firefighter in Minnehaha County and I assure you that I will meet with every county commisioner and do my best to keep Jay out of the county. remember this people if he gets a county license, yes he has his bounderies but that also opens up a chance for Jay to also be called to any other area for mutual aid. Another point to ponder if the patient is critical we will be calling in for a helicopter so therefore our patient would be better taken care of than with DeathStar. Jay and the staff in his employee have no business in EMS any where. Come on people we need to stop this from happening.
July 26th, 2010 at 8:25 pm
I gotta say, that is pretty courageous on Medstar’s part to illegally respond to a call outside of Brandon. Considering they are trying to expand their boundaries, you would think they would try to mind their manners.
On the other hand, when you have a county commissioner in your hip pocket, I guess you can take gambles like that and not worry about the repercussions.
July 26th, 2010 at 8:50 pm
Editor Jill says they met them IN Corson. That is not what witnesses say. They blew right through Corson heading North.
July 26th, 2010 at 8:53 pm
What is the punishment for running calls without a license? I’m going to buy a rig tomorrow and start running calls because I want to help people, it’s my lifes passion.
July 26th, 2010 at 8:56 pm
Average citizen, they’ve done it before. They’ve answered calls in minnesota on the interstate and transferred to the hospital. Fact.
July 27th, 2010 at 6:45 am
So, Mr. Barth, assuming you are still reading this . . . what are you going to do about an ambulance service that is reportedly operating outside of their jurisdiction and without a county license?
Jill and Alica: Can you authenticate this? If so, can you get a statement from the County Commissioners as to why they are allowing an unlicensed service to operate in THEIR county without authorization?
Assuming all this is true, I cannot WAIT until the next election. The residence of Minnehaha County deserve to know what kind of commissioners they have elected.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:56 am
Since Jay did run a call outside of Brandon City limits there should be some consequence. Why will nobody do anything? #80 you are correct, if nothing is done I think it is time for change at the county level. It is sad that Jay can get away with this and everyone looks the other way.
July 30th, 2010 at 9:16 am
#59 I just want to expand on your statement about skewing response times. Very true Metro Communications tracks all response times, and the only way to fudge those numbers would be to call yourself on scene before you actually are, which in turn would really mess up that next critical time of length of time on scene. No body who actually cares about patient care, great exmple would be Rural Metro,would mess with any type of critical numbers or statistics.
August 9th, 2010 at 10:03 am
I think it is funny that after Jeff Barth has been called on the carpet over this he no longer comments. Nor does Jay’s little buddies. I wonder if they are getting scared. I hope there is a big push to elect a new commisioner for every commisioner that votes in favor of Jay’s Little Wannabe service.
August 16th, 2010 at 1:29 pm
You’ve got to be kidding me? You’ve deleted every single post I made?
What a joke. Did dirty jay threaten to sue you?
August 17th, 2010 at 11:19 am
Manabouttown, it is because they are all in favor of Jay and his little group of monkeys.
my next question is who satyed behind while Jay and mos tof those little puppets were in Iowa for Terry McCarls race last week. Were any of the other trucks even covered or just the truck for Brandon?
And when will Jay’s little buddy Brian Rubin reletter the trucks properly. Ever notice how they all still say 3, 4 ,5 or whatever numbers he has now? Just like every other service they should be numbered properly ie 934.
August 17th, 2010 at 8:40 pm
So the Minnehaha County commissioners decided not to punish Medstar for responding to a call outside of Brandon. I guess laws and regulations mean nothing to them.
They said since the Brandon police asked MedStar to respond, they did. So, if the Brandon Police asked MedStar to rob a bank, would that be okay, too?
I wonder if the commissioners have any clue as to the can of worms they have just opened. They have set a precedent that laws and regulations are flexible. I guess EMS is now a free for all. I’m going to buy an ambulance and a scanner and start showing up to calls around my neighborhood. If the County commissioners don’t like it then that’s tough. They have made the decision that laws are meant to be broken.
May I please suggest to all those that are incensed at this decision to please remember this when the elections come around. In my opinion we have a panel of obtuse individuals without a clue as what they are doing concerning EMS and public safety.
August 18th, 2010 at 11:19 am
Alicia–
re: manabouttown, #53 comment.
Why was his comments deleted? or any other comments for that matter? There was no obsene words in their comments, etc.
August 18th, 2010 at 12:19 pm
I can refer you to our terms of service at http://www.argusleader.com/section/TERMS
We really don’t want to delete anybody’s comments. But sometimes there is a violation of the terms, and we have to.
August 18th, 2010 at 2:37 pm
Alica, you need to get a clue. Someone in a prior post said you are an advocate and they are right. Your handling of the Deathstar story are advocacy for Jay. Be more objective.
To others reading this, it is time we elect new county officials, this has become more than ridiculous. So if Jays service did not violate a law, then shouldn’t something be done to the officer that called MedStar for help. The truth should be known that call was not made over the radio, it was made via officers cell phone directly to Medstar employees. That certainly is not protocol. Nor should that type of behavior be allowed. This can not be allowed to just go away.
August 18th, 2010 at 2:49 pm
Wow - a person using the word “Deathstar” demanding objectivity. Pot, kettle.
August 18th, 2010 at 3:52 pm
Alicia— I read thru ALL of the terms, there is nothing in there that would be reason for removal. To be more direct, why don’t you point out to us which “terms” he/she was in violation of.
August 18th, 2010 at 3:59 pm
To #58: That’s funny. In conversations I’ve had with Jay, he’s said the opposite.
August 18th, 2010 at 7:21 pm
Can you be more specific, Alica, as to what Jay said to you?
You promised you would talk with Jay and get the answers that so many of us have been asking. I have yet to read anything, objective or not, from you or Jill concerning MedStar.
Jay’s refusal to talk to the Argus Leader and your apparent unwillingness to get our answers is how rumors get started. We just want the facts. We want to know what kind of quality care MedStar believes they can provide, and to back it up with facts. Not ‘it’s been a dream of mine to serve the public’ kind of nonsense.
I know Jay. I know his ‘dream’ is really a matter of ego and settling a score with Sioux Falls Ambulance, now Rural Metro Ambulance, that happened several years ago. Jay and CareTram got booted out of Sioux Falls for pulling similar stunts as he did with the call north of Corson. History is doomed to repeat itself. Only this time we have a panel of county commissioners that apparently have no regard for their own policies.
August 18th, 2010 at 8:04 pm
I have not had a conversation with Jay in many months.
Watch the Brandon Valley Challenger and Argus Leader for coverage on this issue. You will find appropriate coverage, at the appropriate time, there. Until then, we can state opinions here on the blog and have conversation on the topic. (Be polite, though.)
Be assured that the newspaper takes your questions into consideration when researching issues for stories for the paper.
August 19th, 2010 at 7:40 am
Alicia let me ask you this. Why were all the post deletions on this thread deleted when all of the previous “discussion” on other medstar topics not? This one violated the terms of use but not the other 1455 (yes I added them up)posts? I think not madam.
Manabouttown-your freedom of speech has been violated. Stand up and fight for it.
August 19th, 2010 at 8:09 am
These decisions are made at the executive level.
August 19th, 2010 at 8:48 am
Once again no answer just a put off. The question was why this thread and not the others? And since half of the posts are deleted the thread makes absolutely no sense.
August 19th, 2010 at 8:56 am
Alicia—I asked you several posts ago (#60 to be exact). What specific “term or terms” was manaboutown in violation of? or anyone else for that matter? I read thru the entire Argus Leader terms, there was nothing in there that he/she would be in violation of (again, there was nothing obscene in his/her comments)
Do we get an answer?
August 19th, 2010 at 9:15 am
Alica your answer in post #6 is in reference to #8’s questions. You deleted #8’s questions. How could questions be in violation of terms of use? Your answers can stay but not the questions? I want those questions put back on. This whole thing reeks of freedom of speech violation.
August 19th, 2010 at 12:31 pm
To #68: To be accurate, someone who outranks me deleted #8’s questions.
August 19th, 2010 at 3:21 pm
The Challenger and Argus Leader are living up to their reputations as small town newspapers that only report what they want people to read. Whomever it is that ‘outranked’ you and deleted a question — not even a comment — should not be allowed to be in journalism of any kind . . . unless it is in North Korea.
Go ahead…delete this comment, too.
August 19th, 2010 at 5:19 pm
Wow. Some of you have such anger at everything. While I can appreciate your passion about the ambulance issue, some of the posts were extreme. I for one am glad some of the posts were removed.
Attacking Alica out of frustration is really unfair to her. She does a great job -please lay off of her.
Some of you obviously disagree with Medstar providing ambulance service but just because you disagree doesn’t make you right. There are many people who are supportive of Medstar. That also does not make them right.
There are going to be pro’s and con’s with every ambulance service that may serve our town. I appreciate the faster response time that Medstar can provide. I personally have not heard of ANY problems with them (other than on these forums).
.
August 19th, 2010 at 6:37 pm
#71, unless you are in the medical industry, you probably wouldn’t hear anything pro or con about MedStar. No one here is saying they are right. They are voicing opinions, just like you are. And they have every right to voice their opinions…just like you do.
No one is attacking Alica. If you read back through all the posts you will see that Alica has been fairly aggressive with some of her comments. (and she is supposed to be the moderator) Couple that with the Challenger/Argus Leader censoring posts, not because of profanity or threats, but simply because they decided some of the comments were not to their liking, and that will anger people. I remember someone named Joseph McCarthy that had the same attitude. And look at the mess he made of things.
August 19th, 2010 at 7:32 pm
#71, I guess I wasn’t aware that only those in the “medical industry” used ambulance services. I always thought common citizens could use the ambulance services also. Silly me.
Opinions can be expressed regarding services received whether you have a medical background or not. As I stated above, I have heard positive comments regarding Medstar and service received. Of course, there may individuals who were unhappy with Medstar - I just have not heard any (except on these forums).
I am sure there are both positive and negative opinions on Rural Metro also.
P.S. I am in the “medical industry.”
August 20th, 2010 at 12:22 am
#73, I am not sure what area of the medical industry you work in, but if it has anything to do with emergency medicine and you have not heard anything negative about Medstar then you are not listening. It is a continuous topic of conversation is both ERs.
EMS without proper oversight is a catastrophe waiting to happen.
August 20th, 2010 at 8:12 am
#71…the question I gave Alicia was: why were any posts deleted? She told me to read the “Argus Leader terms”, I did…there is NOTHING in the terms that would raise red flags. (read my comment #67) I simply asked her then which terms that were violated, and I get an answer of “someone who outranks her” deleted the messages. So I say again…what “terms” were violated?? That is the real issue here…..
August 20th, 2010 at 1:04 pm
I was told it was because one or two of my posts. The decision of a newspaper of all things to censor EVERY SINGLE POST I HAD because of a few is beyond funny.
I won’t bother with this pitiful attempt at a blog anymore. The only attention it has EVER gotten concerns the ambulance stories. The rest is a waste. Quit giving the challenger and the argus the advertising dollars.
Newspapers cry and cry and cry for open government and fight closed trials but censor on their own god damn blog? Hilarious is what that is.
Let jay have the county. Rural Metro is going to come in and take over Brandon anyways. He can have his 30 calls a year. Rural Metro will lose money just to shut him down. How long till he packs up and runs from the county commitment too? I’m sure he will have someone to blame…
Between the commission and the newspapers, Jay must have spent a lot of time on his knees getting all of this support.
August 20th, 2010 at 3:38 pm
Manabouttown - How about fessing up who you really are. Put your name to words or are you not MAN enough to do so?
August 20th, 2010 at 7:50 pm
For the same reason you don’t, Seriously.
August 21st, 2010 at 8:49 am
I’d love to post my name. But Jay Masur would have a hay day suing me–cause that is what he does. My family’s livelihood depends on me being anonymous here.
Who are YOU? I don’t see anyone but Alicia posting their names.
The irony of an anonymous poster trying to call me out because I have posted anonymously is beyond funny though. Thanks for that.
August 21st, 2010 at 12:25 pm
Alica,
Several of us asked questions that you said you would get answers to after you returned from vacation at the end of July. Are you still working on this? When can we expect to see any information from the questions we asked?
Thanks!
August 21st, 2010 at 12:44 pm
Alica,
Second question: Why were previous posts deleted? And please do not say because they violated the terms of service. What specifically were the violations?
Censoring a public forum like this is a dangerous practice for a newspaper. Journalistic integrity is at stake. I am asking you and ’someone higher up than you’ to reconsider your stance before this gets out of hand.
August 21st, 2010 at 4:02 pm
Be assured that management here studies the law and makes every effort to abide by it.
Also, please be aware that just because you don’t see the information you are looking for here on the blog does not necessarily mean it is not being pursued.
Thank you for posting on the blog. We are interested in your questions.
Alica
August 22nd, 2010 at 5:37 pm
Can you be more specific about which terms of service manabouttown violated?
August 22nd, 2010 at 7:14 pm
They are interested in our questions. Just not willing to answer them. wow. Nothing ever changes.
I’m the poster who asked the original questions. Yes…the ones that were deleted from this blog. Quite honestly I don’t believe I’ll ever get them answered by the Argus Leader and it’s staff. They are very good at sidestepping questions.
Alica says….”Also, please be aware that just because you don’t see the information you are looking for here on the blog does not necessarily mean it is not being pursued”
Well until it’s published it’s thin air and empty promises.
And I also believe they will never say which terms of service were violated. Because if they did they would have to delete nearly ALL of the ambulance blogs, which they haven’t done.
August 23rd, 2010 at 8:10 am
#77 you are obviously Jay or one of his poorly trained monkeys, to ask such a stupid question of someone naming their identity, while you also hide behind a fake name.
I agree with everyone else on here we will never get the answers we seek or deserve. It is a damn shame too.
August 23rd, 2010 at 4:31 pm
It occurs to me that if there was a post saying the user was deleted because of this or that specific thing, other posters would not replay, “Oh, ok. I get it. Thanks.” Do you suspect, like I do, that there would be a lot of posts that would disagree with the reasoning?
August 23rd, 2010 at 9:23 pm
Alica, I urge you to quit debating the people whose minds are made up. They will continue to spew their venom. They will castigate you no matter how you reply. Let them rant and offer up their judgments, and let whoever decides what to delete do their jobs. If indeed you had the supreme power they attribute to you, you could whitewash all the comments that criticize you. You, and/or your employer, don’t do that — and I commend you for it. I’m no fan of A/L media, but I’m with you here.
August 24th, 2010 at 7:25 am
Dukembe,
So, you are advocating censorship? When the moderator of a blog chooses to enter into the debate then that moderator should expect the same castigation that anyone else on here is going to get.
I asked a simple question: What specifically was said that was a violation of the terms of service. I do not think I am asking too much, nor am I asking a difficult question. But yet I cannot get a straight answer.
Alica, I would like the name and email address of the ‘person that outranks you’ that made the decision to censor posts. I would like to speak with this person directly.
August 24th, 2010 at 7:35 am
Don’t worry average citizen. My questions to Randall Beck and Maricarrol Kueter were just completely ignored. I wouldn’t expect Alica to answer them either if the status quo is to censor and ignore the readers.
And people wonder why newspaper is a dying medium.
While we’re complaining, let Commissioner Barth know that we will not tolerate him being in bed with Jay and Med-Star.
Jeff Barth (605) 371-0154 3605 E Raven Oaks Cir,Sioux Falls, SD 57103-5848
http://www.jeffbarth.com/
August 25th, 2010 at 3:13 pm
In light of the fact that I have asked four times now what, specifically, was said in previous posts that warranted censorship, and the subsequent refusal to answer and/or just plain being ignored, I am boycotting the Challenger and Argus Leader. I strongly encourage all of you to boycott anything to do with the Argus Leader.
I am forwarding my concerns to the Walters Law Group. If First Amendment rights have been violated you can be assured every media outlet in South Dakota (less the Argus Leader, of course) will be made aware.
Alica, I don’t envy your position having to moderate this blog. I do appreciate your efforts. However, you have made it clear through your unwillingness to address my question that you are not interested in fairness or, arguably, the law.
August 25th, 2010 at 4:29 pm
Editor Jill couldn’t even get the facts straight. Her new story on the brandoninfo.com site says that Rural metro Dispatched Med-star to that call. RURAL METRO AMBULANCE HAS NEVER EVER EVER DISPATCHED MED-STAR FOR ANYTHING. EVER.
METRO COMMUNICATIONS DISPATCHED THEM TO THIS CALL, AT THE COFFEE CUP. THEY ALSO DISPATCHED RURAL METRO WHEN THEY REALIZED THE PERSON WAS IN THE COUNTY AND THEY WERE APPROPRIATE. THEY DID NOT JUST CROSS THE BRIDGE, BUT DROVE THROUGH CORSON TO GET TO THIS PATIENT.
IT IS GREAT THAT CHIEF KRULL IS BACKING JAY UP…. NOT VERY SURPRISING CONSIDERING THE AMOUNT OF TIME HE SPENDS HAVING COFFEE WITH JAY EVERY WEEK.
August 25th, 2010 at 5:30 pm
You folks might be interested in attending this meeting:
Minnehaha County Commissioner Jeff Barth and fellow county commission candidates Mark Rogen and Reynold Nesiba will be the featured speakers at the Minnehaha County Democratic Forum on Friday at the VFW, 3601 S.Minnesota Ave., Sioux Falls. There is no charge. The meeting starts at noon, and the program starts at 12:20 p.m.