The man had a life-threatening condition that required immediate advanced medical attention, but a Northwest Health ambulance with a paramedic aboard wouldn’t be available for 14 minutes.
That was a situation that Porter’s Volunteer Fire Department recently encountered, Fire Chief Jay Craig Jr. said. The Portage Fire Department providing mutual aid saved the day when it sent an ambulance with a paramedic.
In Craig’s opinion, Northwest Health’s inability to send an ambulance with a paramedic is happening far too often.
“I have been fighting this battle for longer than I care to admit,” Craig said
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Craig during a recent Porter Town Council meeting bluntly shared his criticisms of the Northwest Health ambulance service, which provides emergency medical transport for most of Porter County outside of Valparaiso, Portage and the area served by the East Porter Fire Department.
The contract expires at the year’s end and Porter County and Northwest Health are supposed to have their initial negotiating session next week on a new contract.
Under the current contract, Northwest Health operates stations in Chesterton, Valparaiso, Hebron and Wheeler. There are supposed to be five ambulances staffed with paramedics — two of them out of Chesterton to cover the Duneland communities.
But Craig said there are many occasions when ambulances respond that are staffed with only emergency medical technicians. Paramedics have more advanced medical training to handle serious situations.
“There has to be a better way and nobody, in my opinion, is making the effort to make it a better way. It’s getting worse,” Craig said.
Craig participated in negotiations with the last contract, but this time Porter County Commissioner Ed Morales, R-South; County Councilwoman Michelle Harris, R-at-large; and County Councilman Greg Simms, D-3rd, are representing the county’s side.
Porter County Commissioner Jim Biggs, R-North, said that he anticipates the county’s potential annual cost could triple to $1.5 million from the present $450,000.
Biggs said that he isn’t surprised by Craig’s statements because the Porter fire chief has been its most persistent critic.
“I’m not hearing that from anybody else. I’m not hearing that from any of the municipalities,” Biggs said.
Chesterton is the largest community served by the ambulance service. Fire Chief Sean O’Donnell, who came to Chesterton in October 2023, has made no comments about the ambulance service’s performance and declined to answer questions on the issue. Chesterton, at one time, contracted with Superior Ambulance, but then switched back to Northwest Health, which has its station in town at the corner of Porter Avenue and Indiana 49.
Kouts Fire Chief Jeremy Gettler when asked would only say “there are definitely some issues” and declined to elaborate.
Biggs said that Porter County is getting a good deal with the present arrangement.
Northwest Health and its predecessors have operated an ambulance service in Porter County for more than 30 years, said Kelly Credit, a spokeswoman for Northwest Health.
Credit said that contract discussions are in the early stages, but they will “have more to share as the process moves forward.”
“We are committed to providing timely, clinically appropriate emergency care which we deliver with a strong team of paramedics and EMTs across our five locations,” Credit said.
Credit said they aren’t aware of the specific incident the Porter Fire Chief is referring to about the unavailability of an ambulance with a paramedic.
“We take every concern seriously and always look for opportunities to improve the services we provide in the community,” Credit said.
The National Fire Protection Association wants fire departments or emergency squads to get to a location within 6 minutes of receiving the call, 90% of the time. Time is critical, especially for patients who have suffered a heart attack or stroke.
When he was asked by Porter Town Council members how service to the community could be improved, Craig replied that a system like LaPorte County, which provides ambulance service for the entire county, is a model.
But what would be the ideal carries a high price tag.
Biggs noted that LaPorte County’s EMS system costs taxpayers $5.7 million annually, which is far more than the $450,000 paid by Porter County. He said that Porter and other communities currently don’t contribute directly to paying for emergency services.
There is room for improvement, Biggs said. With the upcoming contract, Biggs said Porter County will ask Northwest Health to add a sixth ambulance that would cover the Morgan Township area, which is experiencing growth.
In coming years, Biggs said he wouldn’t be surprised to see bigger changes concerning how ambulance services are delivered.
Porter County’s population is growing and that is putting a strain on resources.
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Biggs said that one potential answer is to create fire districts. What that would entail is a department, like Valparaiso, contracting to serve surrounding townships with tax money collected to support the enterprise.
Simms said since the contract was last negotiated five years ago, the local landscape has changed.
“Ever since COVID, everything has gone up exponentially,” Simms said. “We know we are going to pay more. We know they are going to ask for more money.”
Porter County’s population also continues to grow, which presents challenges.
“We live in the best county. There’s no reason why we can’t have an adequate ambulance service,” Simms said.
Jim Woods is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.