Editorial: Rescue squad bypasses the high road in ambulance donation

Taxpayers have made it clear they want and expect cooperation between local governments to save them money, but it appears the troubled Antioch Rescue Squad wasn't listening.

The same volunteer organization that got itself in hot water a couple of years ago for a variety of bad behaviors, has played what appears to be childish politics in doling out used ambulances and emergency equipment it no longer needs.

In the past year, ARS leaders gave away three used ambulances stocked with supplies. However, the recipients were agencies outside the Antioch and Antioch Township community that had supported ARS for 75 years.

In doing so, ARS rejected a request from Antioch-area fire officials who wanted the ambulances to use in providing local rescue services. In fact, the agency rescinded squad leaders' initial approval of Antioch's request and instead solicited the three other outside departments.

As a result, Antioch-area officials had to spend $69,000 in taxpayer money to buy a used vehicle.

"Could we have used those ambulances and equipment? Absolutely," Antioch Fire Chief John Nixon told Daily Herald staff writer Lee Filas in a story this week. "Because we didn't see one dime from (the ARS), we had to spend taxpayer money to bring in ambulances and equipment to operate and protect the residents of Antioch and Antioch Township."

The Lake County High Schools Technology Campus in Grayslake, Newport Township Fire Protection District in Wadsworth and Stone Park Fire Department in Cook County received ARS ambulance and equipment donations in 2014. All are worthwhile recipients, but none is based in the community that stood by and supported ARS. Why the rejection? We're still waiting for an answer from Antioch Rescue Squad leaders, who didn't respond to many attempts to talk about the issue.

However, Antioch-area fire officials say they think it's because they didn't offer ARS a contract to handle rescue calls last year. Instead, they selected the Antioch Fire Department to handle those duties. If that reasoning is true, the situation reflects more of the same selfish, bad decisions we've seen from rescue squad leaders in the last couple of years. The organization that once held a respected place in the community has been collapsing under the weight of poor oversight, lack of professionalism and juvenile behavior from members who were supposed to be serious about protecting the public.

Its once-proud legacy was tarnished with a sexual harassment lawsuit, a state investigation that found squad members mistreated patients, abused medications and allowed employees to begin shifts within hours of excessively drinking alcohol - and now this.

Had the ARS taken the high road and donated at least some of the equipment in its home community, it would have saved taxpayers a few bucks. It might have also recaptured some of the respect and reputation it has lost.