The Sentinel Newspaper
Dissension Affects Emergency Services in Woodland Hills
On November 6 the parents of an infant in Woodland Hills called 911
when they found the child was not breathing. The Woodland Hills
emergency medical technicians did not receive the call, but the Salem
department did, and responded. Normally, the Woodland Hills EMTs
would have have been on-scene first, providing first responder
services while waiting for the Salem abulance. But, for 3 days in
November, calls for medical help were not routed to Woodland Hills,
because the fire chief and the mayor notified the the county dispatch
center to "remove Woodland Hills from the stack."
The unusual action was taken because, according to mayor Steve
Lauritzen, the fire chief was not sure that anyone would respond.
Lauritzen decided not to notify residents because he felt the
unspecified issue could be worked out. "It was only 3 days," he
stated in the council meeting on December 14.
Outgoing council member Steve Carter noted that it was the second time
in recent months that dissension had interrupted emergency services.
As reported in The Sentinel
on August 1, the then fire chief Val Wilding and all officers in the
department tendered their resignations. Without a chief, the
department could not be in the county dispatch center's "call stack",
and the Woodland Hills volunteers could not assist other departments,
even if they were fighting a fire in the city. This situation
persisted for several days in August, although citizens received no
information about it.
Sources tell the Sentinel that the arguments between the city and its
EMTs and fire department center on attempts to terminate award-winning
firefighter and former assistant fire chief Marci Shaver-Adams. That
termination is currently the subject of an appeal and arbitration.
Other issues that have caused heated comments are comments by the city
council about expenditures by the fire department to support
fund-raising in nearby cities and a request for the department's
Standard Operating Procedures manual.
Dec 15, 2011
|
Homeless Dogs Slumber in Comfort Thanks to Scouts
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Meet the Woodland Hills City Council Candidates
On October 12, the candidates for the 3 city council positions will
meet the public in a forum held at the city center on Woodland Hills
Drive. The event will run from 7pm to 9pm.
September 27, 2011
Past Story Archive
The Sentinel's last print edition was March 31, 2010. The "new" Sentinel continues as a web-only local newspaper.
Contact Hilarie Orman (editor@sfsentinel.com) if you are
interested in writing for the paper.
Namon Bills' Farewell to the print
edition of the Sentinel
J-Mart Printing is still in business. To reach them, call 801-798-6816.
Founder of The Spanish Fork News and The Sentinel, Lane Henderson.
