By Shannon Sessions
Enterprise editor
The debate is not whether southwest Snohomish County will continue to have quality paramedic service, officials said, but rather if Medic 7 will survive after its medics are integrated into the Edmonds and Lynnwood fire departments by March 2.
"From a practical standpoint, (Medic 7) will not be a functional body at some point in 2002, but this is something the board will decide," said Edmonds Mayor Gary Haakenson, who is also president of the Medic 7 board.
After Mountlake Terrace and Brier withdrew last year from Medic 7 because of financial issues, the remaining cities —Lynnwood, Edmonds and Woodway — have had to decide what they would do for paramedic service.
Within the past few months, Edmonds and Lynnwood have been integrating the 16 paramedics, known as Medic 7 for 23 years, into their fire departments.
Those medics who aren’t firefighters would get training, officials said.
What hasn’t been decided is what to call those medics and what to do with the governing board of Medic 7.
"We still have some work to do but have accomplished a lot in the last 60 days — more than the whole year before that," Haakensen said.
Medic 7 paramedics are also anxious to move forward with the integration, union president and paramedic David Clark said.
"The medics are comfortable with what’s happening, and three months from now the citizens will have a program that will cost the same or less and have the same level of service," Clark said.
While the numbers and details haven’t been hammered out by the Medic 7 governing board, Edmonds and Lynnwood have separated the medics at each of their stations and have discussed how the assets would be divided, Haakenson said. Woodway is negotiating with Edmonds for service.
As of Jan. 1, Mountlake Terrace is no longer covered by Medic 7.
It is now covered by paramedic/firefighters who have been integrated into Mountlake Terrace’s fire department over the past year with the plan to separate from Medic 7 to save money.
A minimum of one paramedic placed at both Terrace fire stations now covers advanced life support emergencies for Mountlake Terrace and Brier.
Shannon Sessions is the editor for the Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace editions of the Enterprise weekly newspapers. You can call her at 425-673-6531 or send e-mail to sessions@heraldnet.com.
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