Newspaper Page Text
The Summerville News, Thursday, January 29, 1987
6-A
PRIVATE CONTRACT POSSIBLE?
Ambulance Service
Without Directors
from front page
item or watching the service
head(luarters bothered him,
Powell said. *“That's what got
me — ‘park across the street to
see if the ambulances are
checked,' "' the commissioner
said. *'lf he was gonna be look
ing after those things, why
diSn't he just drive up over
there and say, all right boys,
let's get out here and check
these ambulances and see that
everthing's in them ..." The
part about hiding equifi)ment, ir
ritated him, Powell said,
because should a technician get
a call “‘and they had to go and
they got there and needed
whatever he hid and hadn't
found it. It's life or death in my
estimation.”
The commissioner also said
he was bothered after Fowler
allegedly wrote a postscript to
a notice Powell had distributed
to courthouse offices and the
county works camp about
county office hours, vacation
and sick leave time. The
paragraph said, ‘‘Anyone
wishing to use a sick day are to
let me know. Do not call the
commissioner’s office. As of
1-1-87, I handle sick days and
holidays here.”” Powell said he
never expected the ambulance
service to abide by the schedule
but that the paragraph he said
was added by Fowler bothered
him.
INDICTMENT
The commissioner in the in
terview Tuesday and in a letter
to Fowler dated last Thursday
referred to Fowler having been
indicted by the September,
1986 term Grand Jury on
charies of eavesdropping.
The charge was filed
against Fowler in May, 1986
after an investigation by the
Georgia Bureau of Investiga
tion (GBI) indicated he had
allegedly tared conversations
at the ambulance service head
quarters. The indictment of
last fall said the May 1, 1986
conversation involved then-
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ambulance service worker
Johnny England and Barbara
Howel{. former secretary to
Commissioner Powell.
Powell dismissed England
the following week. A tape of
the conversation between Mrs.
Howell and' England was
reportedly taped to a tree at
Powell's property durinf the
weekend of Nfa_v 2. Powell said
Tuesday it was on his porch.
ANOTHER PLACE
In his letter to Fowler,
Powell said, I believe if I were
in the trouble that you are in
I would look for another place
to work, because I have alread
had several complaints. wnfi
the trouble that you are
already in in the court in this
county, I don't believe I would
hide anything nor sit across the
road and watch the other
emp[}oyees."
he commissioner said he
was sending a copy of the let
ter to Dr. Goodwin, adding,
“There is already confusion of
which I flatly denounce.”
Dr. Goodwin submitted his
letter of resignation to Powell
late last week. Dr. Goodwin
refused to discuss his reasons
for quitting but his office did
confirm his resignation. Powell
said he didn't know exactly
why Goodwin resigned, adding
that the physician said he
didn't want to have ‘‘two
bosses."”
In a written statement and
in the interview Tuesday,
Powell said, ** All the employees
will verify the fact that I have
never been a boss over them
because I have only been to the
ambulance service two times in
the year and the first visit
there was when Donnie
disobeyed the rules the first
time and then I was invited to
the Christmas supper and at
tended along with my wife and
the employees of the am
bulance service, along with Dr.
Goodwin."”
Based on Powell's com
ments and other reports, it ap
peared that Goodwin may have
resigned because of Powell's
action.
30 DAYS
The commissioner said
Tuesday that he verbally gave
Fowler 30 days to find another
job. However, Fowler said he
resigned last Friday to accept
a position with Whitfield Coun
ty's ambulance service. Fowler
said he helped them start the
service in 1985 and he has been
working there for several
months in addition to his Chat
tooga job.
"I just got a better offer for
more money,”’ Fowler said,
“‘and that's what we're all in it
for. As the old saying goes,
the{ made me an offer I
couldn’t refuse.”
Told that Powell said he
had been dismissed, Fowler
said, *‘l've got no statement as
far as any rebuttal . . . I resign
ed last Friday. It's just that
simple.”
Powell agreed that the am
bulance service is required to
have a medical director or ad
visor. He contacted some doc
tors about the position, the
commissioner said Tuesday,
but hadn't received a response.
In addition, the position of ser
vice director is also open.
REQUIRED
Robby Stultz, Emergency
Medical Services coordinator
for Region 1, Department of
Human Resources, Rome, said
DHR regulations require a
medical advisor for an am
bulance service. If counties
can't find someone willing to
serve, they can request that
the district health director,
who is also a physician, serve
temporarily in the position,
Stultz added.
Stultz said he had heard
“rumors’’ that Dr. Goodwin
had resigned but hadn't receiv
ed any official notification of
the action by Tuesday.
Powell said he may also
move the present ambulance
service office from North Com
merce Street to a tract of
county-owned land near the
public works camp behind
Chattooga Hospital. There
have been reports circulating
that the current site, which is
rented by the county, may be
sold to a fast-food restaurant
operation in the near future.
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Staff Photo By Tommy Toles
YOUNGSTERS BUILD SNOWMAN IN TRION
Charlie Reed; Christy, Angie Kitchens, Jana Willingham
Memo
Raised
Powell’s Ire
Following is a memoran
dum Chattooga County Com
missioner Harry Powell said
was posted at offices of the
Chattooga Emergency Medical
Service this month by former
director Donnie Fowler:
“READ & SIGN
**As of today, 1/11/87, each
shift WILL check ambulances
at the start of each shift. When
I report to work, I will check
my %ox on the dispatch desk
and pick up the check sheets.
If a shift does not have one,
then everyone on that shift will
be written up with warning
slips. If you don’t want to
check ambulances, I have 32
apf)lications from people who
will. When 1 say check am
bulances, this means that you
personally find each item in the
unit and then check it on the
sheet — be sure that you look
for each and every item!!!
“Friday night, it took some
two hours to check and stock
units because they were in such
bad condition. You LOOK for
each item and make sure it's on
the unit. You never know when
I am going to hide a piece of
equipment or park across the
street to see if they are check
ed!!!!!! If it is cold weather,
then go out and crank the units
and then go check them when
the heaters have warmed the
units. 2nd shift personnel are
to cover the windows with
sheets (dirty if possible) to keep
frost off the windows in case
we need to leave quickly.
“There will be no more swit
ching tanks to keep from going
to the pumps If Alma or
myself are not here, then the
dispatcher will decide who goes
on what call. I had better not
hear anyone question the
dispatcher — if L?ley tell you to
go, then YOU GO!
As soon as your patient is
loaded in the ambulance, then
the driver is to call dispatch
and give them your destination
and beginning mileage. When
you arrive at your destination,
you are to tell dispatch that
you are 7-15 and ending
mileage."’
Barksdale
In Germany
Army . Bvt, Tetey L.
Barksdale, son of Jackie T. and
Judy A. Barksdale, Trion Rte.
1, has arrived for duty with the
Ist Armored Division, West
Germany.
Barksdale, a small arms
repairer, is a 1986 graduate of
Chattooga High School.
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Sunday School ...10:00 a.m.
Morning Worship .. .. 11:00 a.m.
Evening Worship ... . .....6:00 p.m.
Wednesday Night . .. ......7:00 p.m.
- Letter To
- Fowler
Following is a copy of a let
ter Commissioner Harry
Powell wrote to former Chat
tooga Medical Services Direc
tor Donnie Fowler last Thurs
day, Jan. 22:
“Donnie,
“I noticed that you have
added another line to the letter
I gave you concerning paid
helidays and sick leave. I also
noticed you said not to call the
Commissioner's office, that
vou will handle holidays and
sick days at the Ambulance
Service. I did not add the last
paragraph. I believe if I were in
the trouble that you are in I
would look for another place to
work, because 1 have had
several complaints. With the
trouble that you are already in
in the Court in this county, I
don’t believe I would hide
anything nor sit across the
road and watch the other
employees.
*I am sending Dr. Goodwin
a copy of the letter, along with
the demand concerning the
other employees. There is
already confusion of which I
tlatly denounce.
Harry Powell,
Chattooga County
Commissioner’’
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Following is a schedule of
office hours, holidays and sick
days issued by the office of
Commissioner Harry Powell.
The commissioner said the last
paragraph was added by Don
nie Fowfier. former Emergency
Medical Services director:
“‘Beginning Jan. 1, 1987 of
fice hours at the court house
**And the court house an
nex will be:
8:15 a.m. 'til 12:00 noon
1:00 p.m. 'til 5:00 p.m.
"Pai(F holidays willpbe:
New Year's Day
Martin Luther King Birthday
Memorial Day
July 4th
Labor Day
Thanksgiving Day
Christmas Day
*“Paid sick days will be one
day per month, or twelve per
year.
“Hours at the work camp
will be:
8:00 a.m. 'til noon
1:00 p.m. 'til 5:00 p.m."”
**Anyone wishing to use a
sick day are to let me know. Do
not call the Commissioner’s Of
fice. As of 1-1-87 I handle sick
days and holidays here.”
MIDOL
ORIGINAL 30°S
21 9
Niidol
Powell Makes
Comments About
Ambulance Issue
Following is a prepared
statement issued Monday b{
Commissioner Harry Powell
about the latest ambulance ser
vice controversy:
“...When we took over
the Ambulance Service from
the hospital I asked Dr. Her
man Spivey if he would con
tinue in the capacity with the
Ambulance Service as Medical
Advisor. He stated to me that
since we were moving out that
he would rather not, and
answered me with an extra nice
letter concerning why. I then
called Dr. Goodwin and asked
him to be the Medical Advisor
and he said he would be glad to
act in that position. At this
particular time Alma Lewis
and Elaine Bennett accom
glanied me to Redmond Park
ospital and the administrator
there, along with the druggist
of the hospital, assured me that
they wou?d look after all the
medicine and supplies that
would be needed in the am
bulances. Dr. Goodwin said
that we needed someone to be
responsible in that position and
that he was going to try Don
nie Fowler because he was a
Cardiac Technician. This con
tinued for a short while until
Donnie Fowler broke the rules
of the Ambulance Service and
was indicted by the Chattooga
County Grand Jury. In my
Bresence Dr. Goodwin told
onnie that he would suspend
him for 30 days of any part in
the Ambulance Service as far
as drug or operation was con
cerned. Along about this time
Donnie acquired a job with
Whitfield %ounty EMS and
since then has made an ex
cellent hand. Since that time
Donnie has worked only part
time with Chattooga C)(')unty.
“I would like to state that
for the second time Donnie
disobeyed the rules and wrote
a note to the employees and
asked them to sign same con
cerning an incident which had
happened the week before. I
am unable to tell you what the
incident was about or who was
involved because I did not
question. In Donnie’s letter he
stated that if a certain shift did
not chandgl()e their ways of doing,
he would be sitting in his truc%(
on the other side of the
highway watching every move
concerning the upkeep of the
ambulances. This statement
did not suit me at all. In the
last paragraph in his letter he
stated that he was going to
hide something in one of the
ambulances and that they had
better not stop until they
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101 149
found what he had hidden in
the ambulance. To me this
could mean life or death had
the ambulance been needed
and they arrived at the scene
and had not been able to have
found the object he had hidden.
“All the employees will
verify the fact that I have
never been a boss over them
because I have only been to the
Ambulance Service two times
in the year and the first visit
there was when Donnie
disobeyed the rules the first
time and then I was invited to
the Christmas Supper and at
tended along with my wife and
the em;syioyees of the Am
bulance Service, along with Dr.
Goodwin.
“We have not hired a Direc
tor because of the cost of the
Director and we were striving
to get money ahead to buy our
own headquarters for the Am
bulance Service and ?urchase
two more new ambulances. I
only purchased one ambulance
in 1986 because of shortage of
funds.
“Donnie Fowler has made
an excellent hand and we ap
preciate him working part-time
with us. Dr. Goodwin has been
one of the best ever, as far as
we know and we hate to see
them both leaving this post.
“The only thing that Phave
to say is the employees who
have E;een working at the Am
bulance Service this past year
have been doing a wonderful
job and have supported me in
every way. The only part I
have played in this Ambulance
Service Kas been in buying an
ambulance, regairing am
bulances, furnishing fuel and
other needed items, and have
not tried to boss in any wa
any of the em?loyees that worK
at the Ambulance Service.”
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