DARLINGTON - Rep. Todd Novak has introduced a bill that will give some southern Lafayette County residents faster access to ambulance service.
Novak, R-Dodgeville, introduced the bill last week to allow ambulance service providers in Warren to cross the state border and respond to calls in Wisconsin. For residents of southern Lafayette County, such as those in Gratiot and South Wayne, Warren EMS can arrive on the scene more quickly than any Wisconsin-based agency, Novak said in a news release Friday.
"Last year a constituent in the South Wayne area had a medical issue," Novak said in the release. "Both the Warren and Darlington ambulances were dispatched. Within minutes, Warren EMTs arrived on the scene and took steps that ultimately saved the man's life. Due to the distance they needed to travel, this all occurred before Darlington had arrived at the scene. Doctors said if it wasn't for the fast arrival of Warren the man might not have lived. Time saves lives in many medical emergencies."
Novak said he and Sen. Howard Marklein helped draft language for the bill that creates a limited exemption for ambulance service providers licensed in another state that make 10 or fewer patient transports per year that begin or end in Wisconsin.
Novak and Lafayette County Sheriff Reg Gill testified before a joint public hearing of the state Assembly Committee on Health and the state Senate Committee on Health and Human Services Tuesday.
The bill, Assembly Bill 249 (Senate Bill 182) is on the calendar for Tuesday, June 9.
Gill also said recently that the Lafayette County Sheriff's Department may be getting a $100,000 grant to help combat drug trafficking.
Gill said Novak led the push to award the funds to the department, which will find out whether it received the grant and what restrictions come with it when Gov. Walker completes work on the state budget, expected sometime in June.
"(Novak) went to work for us," said Gill, who added that he was pleasantly surprised when he learned the Joint Finance Committee approved the grant to be put in the state budget.
The grant would cover two years of salary, at $50,000 per year, for 2016 and 2017.
Gill said the his department previously had a deputy assigned to work with the State Line Area Narcotics Team (SLANT) but due to funding issues, the department promoted that person to be an investigator within its detective division.
"We haven't been able to devote enough time to drugs," Gill said.
The person in the deputy position created by the grant would focus not only on drug traffic in the department's jurisdiction, Gill said, but also points of origin. He said Kenosha and Racine are two major sources of illegal narcotics activity that crosses into Lafayette County.
Gill said in recent years, his department has seen an increase in the use of heroin, methamphetamine and prescription drugs.
- Times staff
Novak, R-Dodgeville, introduced the bill last week to allow ambulance service providers in Warren to cross the state border and respond to calls in Wisconsin. For residents of southern Lafayette County, such as those in Gratiot and South Wayne, Warren EMS can arrive on the scene more quickly than any Wisconsin-based agency, Novak said in a news release Friday.
"Last year a constituent in the South Wayne area had a medical issue," Novak said in the release. "Both the Warren and Darlington ambulances were dispatched. Within minutes, Warren EMTs arrived on the scene and took steps that ultimately saved the man's life. Due to the distance they needed to travel, this all occurred before Darlington had arrived at the scene. Doctors said if it wasn't for the fast arrival of Warren the man might not have lived. Time saves lives in many medical emergencies."
Novak said he and Sen. Howard Marklein helped draft language for the bill that creates a limited exemption for ambulance service providers licensed in another state that make 10 or fewer patient transports per year that begin or end in Wisconsin.
Novak and Lafayette County Sheriff Reg Gill testified before a joint public hearing of the state Assembly Committee on Health and the state Senate Committee on Health and Human Services Tuesday.
The bill, Assembly Bill 249 (Senate Bill 182) is on the calendar for Tuesday, June 9.
Gill also said recently that the Lafayette County Sheriff's Department may be getting a $100,000 grant to help combat drug trafficking.
Gill said Novak led the push to award the funds to the department, which will find out whether it received the grant and what restrictions come with it when Gov. Walker completes work on the state budget, expected sometime in June.
"(Novak) went to work for us," said Gill, who added that he was pleasantly surprised when he learned the Joint Finance Committee approved the grant to be put in the state budget.
The grant would cover two years of salary, at $50,000 per year, for 2016 and 2017.
Gill said the his department previously had a deputy assigned to work with the State Line Area Narcotics Team (SLANT) but due to funding issues, the department promoted that person to be an investigator within its detective division.
"We haven't been able to devote enough time to drugs," Gill said.
The person in the deputy position created by the grant would focus not only on drug traffic in the department's jurisdiction, Gill said, but also points of origin. He said Kenosha and Racine are two major sources of illegal narcotics activity that crosses into Lafayette County.
Gill said in recent years, his department has seen an increase in the use of heroin, methamphetamine and prescription drugs.
- Times staff