Following a series of emergencies on July 17, Upper McKenzie Rural Fire Protection District Fire Chief Joel Zeni is urging Lane County and regional emergency service leaders to take immediate action to expand ambulance capacity in the upper McKenzie Valley.
In a letter to the Lane County Board of Commissioners, Lane County Health & Human Services, Springfield’s mayor, city council, and manager, as well as Eugene Springfield Fire leadership, Zeni said events that day demonstrated the existing ambulance system lacks the capacity to handle multiple emergencies occurring simultaneously in rural eastern Lane County.
Zeni noted responders were called within a short period to a medical emergency in Blue River, a motorcycle-versus-vehicle crash involving three patients (two with severe traumatic injuries) and another medical call near the Trail Bridge Reservoir…