by Nick Delgado

Guam - September is recognized as National Preparedness Month, a time when the community is urged to have a plan in the event of a disaster or emergency, but it pegs the question whether the government is practicing what they preach, this after agencies like Guam Police who have half their patrol fleet under repair, and Guam Fire which just this past weekend went down to one ambulance.

Public Safety Oversight Chair Senator Adolpho Palacios said, "Considering only one ambulance for the entire island, even three ambulances for the entire island is very inadequate, and so I am going to have to pick it up with them in respect to being briefed on the status of the purchases for the new ambulances."

Acting Fire Chief Mike Uncangco defends they are ready when an emergency arises, saying, "In any station that does not have an ambulances or even those that have an ambulance when it is out, our fire suppression unit responds to any emergencies…these people are manned by trained EMTs, these are the same people who rotate in and out of the ambulance so basically the immediate treatment patient assessment and everything is done so by the time the medics come by all they do is transport," he said.

"The fire department says they have alternate ways of addressing those issues and I am sure that they do but whether they are acceptable or satisfactory or adequate. I don't know I wouldn't be surprised if they are not adequate," Palacios said.

There are four ambulances for the entire island today. Fire fighters have expressed disappointment, as they have had to wait up to two hours just to transport a patient. Uncangco says it's a government-wide problem, saying, "It's just a matter of all agencies in public safety working together hand in hand and their shouldn't be any disasters or problems we can't overcome, there are challenges even at normal days there are challenges for us."