by Nick Delgado

Guam - The response time for ambulances is the issue that Guam Fire Department Captain Rueben Olivas says needs to be addressed. Olivas says GFD sometimes is faced with a delayed response time of one hour due to the shortage of units. While Olivas believes GFD management does not show enough concern for the shortage, he says possible solutions include entering into a memorandum of understanding with private services, making sure vendors are paid sooner, and ordering new units.

"We had three ambulances at one time and sometimes we go down to one ambulance," he said. "So that delays the response time and that is the major issue here. The delay in response time and the delay in transport to an emergency facility means that it could be detrimental for patient care."

GFD currently has six units running today, which is only half of its ambulance fleet.