04-10-2016, 12:41 PM
quote:
Originally posted by pahoated
I find I end up going to town every other day on average. In several months, it has been rare to not see an ambulance heading to Puna or coming out of Puna. I was heading into town when these ambulances and fire trucks were coming out of Hilo. The first ambulance, I thought, oh well, another ambulance heading into Puna. Then the fire truck, then the fire chief, then another ambulance and then another ambulance, all heading to south Puna, going through the roundabout work, and it was suddenly clear that roundabout is going to be a complete choke point when it is backed up. They ought to have a contingency to open up Railroad for emergency vehicles. I was pulling over for every emergency vehicle, there were people in the other lane that didn't even know there was one behind. I don't know why there are so many ambulances going into and out of Puna almost every day, multiple times in a day. There are a lot of old people so that is one reason, then there is violence and accidents. Just crazy to see an ambulance every time I go into or come back from town.
Just noticed that fatality was from last night. Then what the heck were they responding to today around noon?
"Aloha also means goodbye. Aloha!"
If the Puna stationed ambulances are already out on calls they have to send an ambulance from Hilo, which some times of the day means heavy traffic both ways. We have a lot of older people with heart issues, and younger drivers with judgement issues, and a growing population, so I anticipate more ambulance runs all the time. A basic ER for Puna would reduce the amount of time our ambulances are driving to Hilo and back, the medics can triage where to take their patients.