Barrow Journal

During a forum last week, the four candidates for Winder City Council offered differing takes on the city’s proposal to operate a separate EMS service from the one currently provided in the city by Barrow County Emergency Services.
Jimmy Terrell, who is challenging incumbent councilman Ridley Parrish in Ward 3, and Todd Saxton who is running for the at-large seat being vacated by councilman Bob Dixon were both critical of the proposal during a nearly hour-long forum hosted by the Barrow County Chamber of Commerce at the Winder Community Center. Parrish defended it and Akins was more non-committal, saying he was in favor of an ambulance service in downtown Winder but that he needed more information to form an opinion of “how we get to that point.”
Last month, the city’s application for a separate EMS license was approved by the state Office of Emergency Medical Services and Trauma.
City administrator Donald Toms has said the city intends to contract with Conyers-based National Emergency Medical Services, Inc. to provide a dedicated ambulance service in the city. The city and National EMS still have to file for an ambulance zoning area and that must be approved by the Northeast Georgia Region 10 EMS Council.
Winder officials are seeking a dedicated city ambulance service because they believe it will be a more effective and efficient operation for citizens and will provide better response times for medical emergencies.
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