Emergency responders in La Pine are dealing with more calls than ever, but they say they don’t have the resources to handle the volume.
The fire department’s board of directors met Thursday to talk about ambulance fees and the need for more resources.
Fire Chief Mike Supkis said they only have two ambulances and it’s not enough to support the growing community.
“We’re the largest rural population in the state of Oregon with the furthest distance to go to a hospital,” he said.
Doug Cox, director of the La Pine Rural Fire Protection District board said their only other option is to call in ambulances from Bend or possibly Redmond.
“Now we’re past the 40-minute recovery,” he said.
Supkis said they recently had 16 calls in a 24-hour period.
Deschutes County Commissioner Tony DeBone has called for a public meeting to discuss the issue further.
That meeting is set for Oct. 13th.
