Councillor withdraws motion for city ambulance

Mayor, union reach agreement on firefighters’ contract

By Barbara Taormina

Councillor-at-Large Juan Pablo Jaramillo withdrew a motion at this week’s City Council meeting to conduct a study for a 24/7 emergency response ambulance to be housed at the fire department. Jaramillo said he proposed the study in response to residents’ concerns about slow response times.

But Captain Kevin O’Hara asked the council to vote the motion down. According to O’Hara, the fire department has the city covered.

“We’re always on scene within 5 to 30 minutes, providing the same level of care as Cataldo Ambulance service,” said O’Hara. When needed, the Department will call Cataldo or mutual aid to get someone to a hospital.

“If it’s an emergency, we’ll get you there,” said O’Hara.

The calls that do experience delays are transport calls made when a person needs to be taken to hospital for care. Those calls can be held up for as much as an hour.

“We’re in good shape,” said O’Hara, who added that an ambulance would cost the city millions of dollars.

With a group of firefighters in the audience in the City Council Chambers, Mayor Patrick Keefe took the opportunity to announce that the city and the firefighter’s union had agreed on a three-year contract that Keefe said will preserve safety for residents and visitors to Revere. O’Hara thanked Keefe and said the mayor and the administration had done the one thing firefighters had asked, which was to bargain in good faith.