“This is a typical Half truth from the half chief. Campion has para-medics, a higher classification than an EMT, and Campion gets many, many, calls from Middlebury. In fact, the "why" of why we even need to duplicate Campion's service to the town has never been answered.
Think about it. We pay twice, once with our taxes when we financially support the ambulance and once when we use the service. Why not just use Campion and cut the cost?
Perrotti , it is reported, said that Savarese said that by not
reimbursing the town the 40 grand we pay for the amublance
insurance premiums the ambulance service would be "free".
Its paramedics, not para-medics. Mr. DeAngelis once again illustrates that he does not know what he is talking about. Not all calls require a paramedic. Campion has both EMT Basics and Paramedics. If the call does not warrant an R-5 you will get two EMT-Basics instead.
If you DO need a paramedic and FD11 responds to the call, you will not have to pay for that paramedic. The MVFD picks up that tab. In fact, the MVFD pays about $80,000 per year and every year for this service. None of that comes from taxpayer money. It comes from the Billing System. The Billing System is not 100% funded by Middlebury residents. Every I-84 call, every accident that involves an out-of-town resident, every doctor’s office call that involves an out-of-town resident is still billed. There are a great number of people that don’t live in Town that are funding this ambulance through the billing service. That takes some heat off all of us.
On the other hand, if FD11 does not respond to the call, and FD11 does not transport, you the patient, will be stuck with the entire bill. Its a BIG BILL.
In addition the MVFD has never taken anyone to collections. If your insurance company does not pick up the tab, and you can’t afford such a bill, it simply disappears. Campion would not be so forgiving.
If you get rid of the MVFD Ambulance, the price of ambulance services would skyrocket. Your taxes would go up. The most surefire way to prevent this from happening is for people in the Town to stop being so apathetic and volunteer to help. A Volunteer ambulance cannot function if there is no one who is willing to take the time to volunteer. Its not Paul Perrotti’s fault that their are not enough EMTs to staff the car 24 hours a day. It is the fault of those who are complacent to sit on their backsides, criticize those in Town who do the most, and offer nothing constructive. Mr. DeAngelis and all those who seek to attack the MVFD are static under the bridge.
You are paying next to nothing in taxes for FD11. Fuel and the small amount of money to pay for insurance on FD 11 and FD 12, plus about 12 EMTs. Its not $40,000. This $40,000 price tag is a made-up number. It is it fantasy. If it is true, show us the bill!
There are people in this Town who are trying to kill the goose that laid the golden egg, and then blame either Tom Gormley or Paul Perrotti for doing it. Start looking at the facts and ignore the static. Stand up and help! Stand up and VOLUNTEER!!!
Posts
11 comments:
First of all, I don't think very many people are listening to Pattie any more except the dedicated kool-aid drinkers. His outrageous attacks in the last few months have helped destroy any credibility that he might have had.
However I do have a suggestion for the MVFD if they want to respond to his attacks.
Rather than responding with words, I think it would be much more effective to arrange a one or two page document consisting of simple graphics and numbers that compared the overall costs of ambulance services for Middlebury taxpayers - with and without the volunteer component. A few additional words could mention the points about out-of-towners and those other considerations.
The graphic showing the growing proportion of Region 15 costs to town costs was an example of a picture being worth a thousand words.
It is a shame that the MVFD needs to promote its good works when they are obvious to the impartial observer. Deangelis should be ashamed of himself for this distortion. I'm disgusted that the three local newspapers have not reported on his attacks. He needs to be exposed for the sick bastard that he is.
In addition to what Mr. Taxpayer says, I'd offer that transparency of the MVFD finances would do a lot to silence the White Avenue idiot. The 501(3)(c) requires financial disclosure anyway, so why not pull together a financial report -- complete with charts and graphs -- and make it available to the public. There's nothing to hide.
If I'm not mistaken, at the Town's request, the MVFD has provided an audit of it's finances. Why don't you just go to the Town Hall and read a copy. Every year, the Fire Dept. files an income tax return (the only dept. in town to do so)and this too is on file at the Town Hall. How about a copy of the FD's budget? It's right there in black and white. All you have to do is get off your lazy a** and ask for it. Now you want a chart, with graphs? What next? How about we have story hour at the library so Ron Michaud can explain to you (very slowly, of course) where every last red cent goes.
Wait a minute, here's another great idea. Why don't you join the Ambulance Corps? Apparently you have plenty of time on your hands if you're just farting around on the computer at 8:42 on a Monday morning. That way you can have a front row seat at all the meetings and see for yourself where all that money goes...
reader why do we need charts and graphs. Its not my fault you don't have the brain to read financial reports. Do you still have fun with coloring books?
An outside Auditor comes in ever year to do a finanical audit of the MVFD. Do you think that the Auditor whould put his job and firm at risk by lying for the MVFD. hmmmm don't think so.
Hmmm... I think "reader" was trying to be helpful and not critical of the MVFD.
Pattie has blown so much smoke that it appears necessary to do some public relations to correct the distortions. Joe Average Citizen is not going to go down to town hall to get a report. Instead, Joe Average Citizen will believe some or all of Pattie's lies and distortions. It's a sad fact, much as we hate to admit it. This blog has said it many times -- If somebody says something enough times then people will start to believe it.
I think "reader" was suggesting that the MVFD get the accurate information into the spotlight to counteract Pattie's lies. Maybe the information could be downloadable from the MVFD web site?
This is just a suggestion, nothing more. The battle is against Pattie and Eddie, not the MVFD.
that has been done but 99% of Middlebury doesn't care. That is why word of Mouth is very important. Take a look at this blog. All the accurate information is on this blog
I was hoping that somebody else would respond to this thread. I'm not sure it is true that 99% of Middlebury doesn't care about this issue. It is probably more accurate to say that 99% of Middlebury is not aware of this issue.
The trouble with a high profile response directly to Pattie's attacks is that Pattie gets undeserved limelight. He'll exploit that limelight with more outrageous attacks.
This blog is a low profile "point by point" response to Pattie's attacks. Thoughtful people that are tuned in to the issue will read this blog and form an informed opinion.
Our friends "reader" and "taxpayer" are concerned about people who hear about Pattie's outrageous accusations second hand and believe the rumors. How do you counter the rumors without putting Pattie in the limelight? I don't know. Should the MVFD publish something for Joe Average Citizen? Something easily understood with a few minutes reading?
I expect that "Joe Average Citizen" is quite aware of the good works being done by the MVFD. Just this last week we had the Fire Prevention Poster Contest and the Tree Lighting and Bonfire. During the year we have had pasta dinners, Circus, Open Houses, and many other good things. The "call log" appears in the Bee every week.
Deangelis needs to blow a lot of smoke to make Joe Average Citizen think ill of the MVFD.
But he's sure trying, isn't he?
Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department Puts Children in Danger
This would be the headline in OMP if Pattie wrote about the ice skating rink being built at Shepardsons.
The Sunday Republican American said "The rink's ice will be provided and maintained by the Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department"
(Sorry for double posting. I don't think many people look at older threads. By the way, I counted 23 times that Pattie used the taunt "half-chief" in OMP today. Why doesn't he just write "half-chief" over and over hundreds of times, interspersed with "nyah nyah". That's intelligent. Amazing what comes from a 65 year old "masters" of whatever.)
More OMP Lies and Distortions
Eddie must be very very nervous!
Pattie posted these lies and distortions today:
"Dayton and Gormley want to "write off" Washington Drive as an "uncollectable debt".
In generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), if you don't see something as being collectible, then it is noncollectable. If it were anything other than Eddie's malfeasance Pattie would not say it was collectible. Everybody knows that this so-called accounts receivable is uncollectable. Dayton and Gormley are providing accurate financial statements, not politically colored distortions.
"We all tried to help him because his new, young administration needed help."
and
"No matter how much his former supporters tried to help Tom"
What whoppers! Tommy got no help! Not from Pattie, not from Eddie, and certainly not from the MRTC.
Biggest Whopper
Pattie uses double-talk to blame Tommy for Eddie's crime.
First this:
"Tom needs Ed to blame for his own screw ups, but it won't work because Ed St John has nothing to do with the current administration and their mistakes."
And then this:
"Blaming St. John and Strobel has the advantage of providing Gormley with a talking point even if he fails to recover 96 percent
of the money because he can claim 'victory' with a 5 percent recovery."
Not so fast Deangelis. And, by the way, the figure is $950K not $900K that St. John misappropriated. You exaggerate everything else but you try to minimize Eddie's crime. Stop the double speak. The mistakes were not made by Gormley, they were made by Eddie and Elaine. You are not denying it ("he can claim 'victory' with a 5 percent recovery.") Tommy did not misappropriate the Washington Drive money. Tommy did not build all the sewers and roads for the cluster housing and the hundreds of new Region 15 kids, Eddie and Elaine did that. They "built it" and the developers came and Eddie never got the town's approval.
Go ahead Deangelis. Blow smoke. Distort. Lie. Taunt. Whatever.
Eddie caused it. Tommy is fixing it. You are lying. That is the truth.
Post a Comment