SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) – Members of the Skidaway Island First Responders (SIFR) say they are in negotiations with the Chatham County Commission after they stopped receiving direct pages after the county consolidated 911 services on the island.
That took effect Oct. 10, 2023.
“We’ve been doing it for almost 43 years, for me almost 20 years,” says SIFR Ann Van Winkle.
A week ago, Chatham County put a new three-part system into place on Skidaway. Pages are sent to Chatham emergency services and private security in The Landings where first responders are based. Security then alerts the first responders.
The first responders say they believe the new system has been unsuccessful resulting in longer wait times of up to nine minutes for people who need immediate medical help.
Kelly Gordon, President, of Skidaway Island First Responders says “We’re probably going to risk somebody’s life. And I have a problem with that. Really that is what keeps me up every night. Literally, we cannot respond to our community the way we used to.”