DECATUR, Ala. — The Decatur City Council on Monday upheld a fine levied against Decatur-Morgan Hospital Emergency Medical Services earlier this year.
The vote was 2-1 in favor of levying the fine; Councilman Billy Jackson was not present for the vote and Councilman Carlton McMasters abstained.
A $5,000 fine was originally assessed by Decatur Fire & Rescue Medical Services Coordinator Chris Phillips for failing to meet established response time goals agreed upon by the EMS and the Ambulance Regulatory Board.
Those goals state that 90% of all ambulance calls should reach the scene of an emergency within a 13-minute window. According to Phillips' assessment, Decatur-Morgan EMS hit that 13-minute clearance only 82% of the time.
In addition to the fine, a five-point penalty was also assessed against the EMS. Should the service rack up 26 points within a two-year period, the service's operational license could be revoked.
The ambulance service had appealed the financial penalty citing financial concerns, but did not object to the points being issued. The ARB upheld the fine in June.
Hunter Pepper, the sole vote against the measure, said he believed the financial penalty unfair due to how close some of the recorded calls were from being within guidelines.