‘Pit bull' attitude stalls 911 plan

The Daily Citizen

An effort to negotiate a working agreement between the Bald Knob volunteer ambulance service and the White County 911 Emergency Management Administrative Board have failed.

Complaints were first made public by Bill Haynie, chairman of the 911 board, over reports of slow or refused calls by the Bald Knob service. After the quorum court's public safety committee heard debate of the controversy in January, a meeting was arranged involving a representative of NorthStar EMS and representatives of the Bald Knob service. NorthStar provides advanced life support services to the county according to a county ordinance, and the Bald Knob service provides basic life support services to the area represented by the Bald Knob School District.

“Two of the Bald Knob people - Barbara Frye and Lisa Carlisle - came to the meeting with no intention of compromising,” said Bill Haynie, chairman of the 911 board. “Jerry Yates came there with all intentions of talking this thing out and having a good discussion but the two ladies came there with a pit bull attitude and weren't willing to work with us.”

Frye was a volunteer with the Bald Knob service at the time of the meeting and has since been relieved of duty. Carlisle is dispatch supervisor in the Bald Knob Police Department.

Also at the meeting were Tonia Hale, National Paramedic of the Year for 2006 and director of operations for NorthStar, White County Judge Michael Lincoln, Justice of the Peace Kenneth Horton, whose district includes Bald Knob, and Nancy Van Winkle, supervisor of the White County 911 dispatch center.

At issue was which dispatch center would make the decision whether advanced life support was needed.

“We've got one of the most professional police departments in White County,” said Tim Sanford, assistant chief of police for Bald Knob. “We get a lot of comments about how our dispatchers are professional. Our disaptchers know when to call for advanced life support.”

The Bald Knob dispatch center operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“Our department has the same training as their department,” Sanford said.

At the meeting, Horton proposed a compromise that was rejected by Frye and Carlisle.

Haney said he expects the Bald Knob service to continue to operate under a new agreement to be worked out with the ambulance committee of the Bald Knob City Council, which consists of Mayor Bob Carpenter and Aldermen Johnny Hodges and Dennis Hearyman.

“I talked to the mayor and I've talked to Mr. Hodges, and it's my understanding they are agreeable to Kenneth Horton's idea,” Haynie said, “and that was if dispatch here gets a 911 call for service in the Bald Knob School District, then the Bald Knob service will be dispatched. But if our dispatcher thinks that advanced life support is needed by past experience and common sense, then they are going to go ahead and call NorthStar and let them proceed. NorthStar said they didn't mind making a dead run because they'd rather be called and not be needed then not be called and they were needed.”

Haynie wanted to offer assurance that the 911 board did not want to eliminate the Bald Knob service.

“We're not trying to take over their business,” Haynie said. “We want what's best for everybody.”

The next meeting of the 911 board is scheduled for April 6. The board meets at 5 p.m. the first Monday of each month on the second floor of the Emergency Operations Center, 417 N. Spruce, in Searcy.