EMS lapse costs Barrow $150,000; officials sought to have state backdate license

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Wednesday, December 7. 2011

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The recent 32-day lapse of Barrow County’s emergency services license was a costly mistake that could have had serious legal consequences for the county government, according to new information obtained this week by the Barrow Journal.

While the State Office of EMS & Trauma did not penalize the county for the August lapse of its biennial EMS license, CFO Rose Kisaalita confirmed Monday that the mistake cost the county at least $150,000 in unbillable ambulance services from Aug. 28-Sept. 28.

Documents obtained late Tuesday night also show the lapse could have subjected the county to criminal charges for operating an unlicensed service.

And emails obtained from both the state and county governments also call into question how the county’s new chief of Barrow County Emergency Services and other county officials have handled the situation.

In a series of phone calls, emails and a face-to-face meeting, they repeatedly asked the director of the State Office of Emergency Services & Trauma to backdate the new license in order to minimize the county’s financial losses.

For the full story, see the December 7 issue of the Barrow Journal.

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#1 Really? on 12/07/11 at 10:37 AM [Reply]

County employees asked state officials to lie?

That is disgraceful and should be a disciplinary matter, perhaps a firing matter.

#1.1 Anonymous on 12/07/11 at 11:04 AM [Reply]

A Used Car Sales man for Chairman (Charged with the Day to Day Operations of the County) and you expect morals

#2 Anonymous on 12/07/11 at 11:19 AM [Reply]

Oh for the love of pete.How can danny damn yearwood keep getting away with this crap?Im no lawyer but Im pretty sure that anyone who went in an ambulance during that time period and things didnt go sowell for them could probably own Barrow county now.
One more reason to get this guy out of office next year, there wont even be a barrow county left if he gets reelected.A state emergency medical license....dumb, dumb, dumb.

#3 Auburn resident on 12/07/11 at 11:56 AM [Reply]

Am I the only person in this county that can see that Danny Yearwood needs to go? O.k., he may not be solely responsible for everything but I can guarantee you that just having him out and even nobody in his place you would see improvements.

#3.1 Anonymous on 12/07/11 at 12:08 PM [Reply]

According to Yearwood ... He is not accountable to anyone... And the voters hired him to run the county (into the ground) So, if not him? Who is responsible? Ho, that's right He's "NOT ACCOUNTABLE TO ANYONE"

#4 TickedOff on 12/07/11 at 12:12 PM [Reply]

It amazes me how many jump on here and post wildly after reading. Nowhere in the article is Yearwoods name mentioned yet 3 of 4 comments blame him. Looks to me like someone in charge of Barrow Fire and Emergency is not doing their job and trying to cover it up. Yet all of you that have been brainwashed blame Danny? Give me a break. He'll be gone shortly and your voice to vote is already gone, you traded that for a county manager. Will it be the county managers fault if someone doesnt do their job in meeting a licensing deadline? And be very careful before you speak that just having someone in his place will be better. It could get worse considering you have given your right to vote away and now allowed a bunch of inept commissioners appoint a favorite. So in short, shut up about Danny, he aint great, but it all aint his fault.

#4.1 Jack Legg on 12/07/11 at 12:36 PM [Reply]

You are such a woebegone idiot. The buck stops at the top my friend.You say he's in charge now, but has he disciplened the person who let the license lapse? , has he taken care of the problem? No? then that makes him part of the problem.
How the hell do you figure that we have given up the right to vote by voting for a county manager?There is ten times more accountability with a county manager system than the current system, the problem with either isd that someone must take responisility and hold these people accountable for what they do.Right now EVERYTHING that goes wrong in Barrow county govt. is yearwoods fault.

#5 TickedOff on 12/07/11 at 01:06 PM [Reply]

Hey Jack, Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak (or in this case type) and remove all doubt. Lets see if you keep the same rhetoric when Hendricks is chairman, and they appoint Worley manager in a few years. And guess what you like all other koolaid drinkers can't say or do "jack" about it. And i guess since you asked "how" we gave up the the right to vote by voting for a manager, that means you voted either out of ignorance or hatred of Danny. We as citizens of this county elected a chairman by voting. Now that right is gone and has been replaced by 4 or 5 good ole boys/girls choosing who they want to. Thats pretty simple even you should be able to understand it. Plus to boot , danny is now a lame duck and we'll be lucky if he don't break us. But he actually has more class than that. Think its bad now just wait, it will get worse. At least you'll be sitting around to pounce on my posts and dazzle us all with your brilliant comments and comedy.

#6 Jack legg on 12/07/11 at 01:40 PM [Reply]

if you think its that much better to remain quiet then you should never have made your first post, much less the second because you have finaly revealed to all the extent of your lack of understanding and knowledge of how either system works.you are just a deadbeat dannyphile always looking for a way to excuse him and direct fault to somewhere else.
Lets not forget how we landed here.
Danny ran off the first fire chief because he refused to kiss his backside, thjen he tried to hire 3 more incompetent dolts before settleing on the one we have now. Now his man has potentiall at least cost us all in a big big way and what has the master parlimentarian done about it? Nothing.

#6.1 Good Grief on 12/07/11 at 02:10 PM [Reply]

Can you please just GO AWAY. Idiot

#6.2 are you kidding me on 12/07/11 at 03:43 PM [Reply]

Myles really blaming Danny and really you of all people should know better. First Merrifield is definately not a Danny man he is under the thumb of a commissioner but not Yearwood. Secondly the first chief bought a ladder truck for over 500,000 dollars without the approval of the commission. the next one left because he couldn't handle the political pressure so he ran home so his home boys could take care of him and third chief you refer to couldn't pay his bills so the GBI came and got him. Lastly the current chief has a history of problems with politicans that will not let him spend unlimited amounts of money for example of that simply do a google search for Dennis Merrifield and Estero Florida. He loves to take the credit others work and quickly places the blame on others when there are problems for example of that simply look at the previous article about this current topic and how he places the blame on Chief Skinner and EMS Captain Savage.

#7 Greg Allbritten on 12/07/11 at 01:52 PM [Reply]

Leadership,

True leadership is a highly valuable commodity in today's public safety community, and yet each day we hear examples of bad leadership destroying what used to be a fine public safety agency.
Too oftern rank is mistaken for leadership. Leadership has nothing to do with rank, title or privilege. Leadership isn't about giving orders, dictating policies or impressing supervisors.
Leadership isn't the sum of ones experience, training or education. Leadership is developed in one's character, and can be applicable in any public safety position, from the new recruit up to the chief.
When a stupid administrator fails to be a leader it will assuredly result in a downward spiral of morale and the loss of good officers who will choose to move into a better situation.

When a department lacks leadership it opens itself up for the incompetant and corrupt to drop anchor and plunder away.
With all due respect, it can be best stated that the definition of leadership is the sum of many things: Responsibility, integrity, loyalty, respectability, honesty, competence, and the ability to motivate and inspire by example.
"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, and become more, you are a leader."

Leadership is better defined by action, not position.

In what ways can leadership affect a department ?

Good leadership will foster a department's growth, efficiency and public image.

Bad leadership will see high turnover rates, decreasing public support and personnel who will simply stop caring.

An effective public safety leader should cultivate the exceptional abilities of each officer and nurture them in ways that spark professional development and reward excellance.

Short of that, an agency will suffer a black eye and good officers will find another place to work.

#7.1 anon on 12/07/11 at 03:47 PM [Reply]

Greg should should know from the terrible example you set when you were the Public Safety Director. By the way I hear Sonya needs a little extra money for christmas so you may need to add 30 or 40 hours of overtime on her timecard to cover her christmas. Just saying.

#7.2 My Two Cents on 12/08/11 at 12:25 AM [Reply]

Greg, Could you kinda condense your comment and just SAY who you think is to blame for the failure to obtain the new EMS license in a timely manner? Your philosophy is rational under "normal" circumstances however in past few years with the Chairman trying to micromanage every little aspect of county business, turnover in employees has probably never been higher~~~and NO, I wasn't attempting another Danny bashing as we are all aware of the fallout he has garnered. That being said, all the textbook principles just don't work in our county right now~~SO, WHO DUNNIT? (in other words, ultimately, in your opinion, where does the fault lie?)

#8 TickedOff on 12/07/11 at 03:48 PM [Reply]

While I agree with your definition and comments on leadership and think it is applicable in the case of Barrow County government, as well as my business or any other, the situation we are discussing is simply someone failing to do their job. It is someones responsiblity to file for this license. Clearly they failed. I highly doubt its Dannys duty.If it is, then he should be fired, reprimanded, or whatever protocol is for the mistake. Thus, if it was the chief of Fire and EMS. The same should apply. If ANYONE asked the state to cover it up they and the ones that covered it up should be fired as well. I m not real sure why I continue dialogue with the likes of Jack, guess Im bored, or in his word an idiot. But nevertheless I continue... This article just posted hours ago and Im sure we'll get the story shortly. The Journal always seems to get to the bottom of it, until then to slam Yearwood again is asanine. If it is indeed his fault, he should be dealt with. BUT until then keep dazzling us Jackie boy.

#9 Geez on 12/07/11 at 07:05 PM [Reply]

People People People....It was a lack of accurate up to date information by the state to get the necessary paperwork to the proper people. Nobody is looking to cover anything up. Also, it is not a true $150,000 loss because neither Medicare or Mediciad would ever reimburse that amount anyway. This figure has been inflated. Do not be too quick to point fingers at anyone. The problem was discovered and taken care of. It would have been nice if the state would have agreed to allow for filing of the calls that were run during that time but it is not going to happen.

#10 Anonymous on 12/07/11 at 07:25 PM [Reply]

What all you people who "jump" straight to conclusion need to ask is, when did the fire department file the papework with the state office of EMS vs. when the license was actually issued. I'm pretty sure you'll be surpirsed by the answer. I hate Yearwood as much as the next guy and would love to be able to say that it was his fault, but it's not. Clerical errors happen and this was one of them. Barrow County has probably never collected $150,000 in one month off ambulance bills. Medicaid and Medicare end up paying pennies on the dollar of what is billed to them, so the county didn't lose nearly as much money as the CFO is leading on. I think her and Yearwood come from the same level of intelligence, or lack thereof.

#10.1 geez indeed on 12/08/11 at 06:40 AM [Reply]

No big deal? Not BC's fault?

Please address the "series of phone calls, emails and a face-to-face meeting, they repeatedly asked the director of the State Office of Emergency Services & Trauma to backdate the new license."

Asking to backdate anything is asking someone to lie.

#10.1.1 Anonymous on 12/08/11 at 07:48 AM [Reply]

In the paper article it said that the application was sent in but then there was a delay between then and when the new license was issued. Maybe they were trying to get it back dated to when the payment was made, not to the point of not having a lapse. This articale even said that this was done to minimize the financial hit to the county. Is this not what they were to do as good directors, find a problem and minimize the problem or loss. Now yes it would have been better if it had not of happened but once it did the job at hand was to minimize the effects.

#11 james on 12/07/11 at 09:53 PM [Reply]

its funny danny was so bent on being in charge ,, 500 ppl voted to change to a county manger and the county if the numbers stick the county in the black as he lost his power ,,, wow god is funny

#12 DuWayne R. Anderson on 12/08/11 at 07:06 AM [Reply]

Renewing an EMS License is not rocket science folks. You don't have to go to college to learn how to remember to renew something as basic as this is. A County Manager would have this on his/her "to do" list. $150K down the drain with 1 mistake. Does this fiasco qualify as "Wasteful Spending" of taxpayer dollars?................

#12.1 Anonymous on 12/08/11 at 07:36 AM [Reply]

It's $150,000 of billable services. Not collectible services. Now let's just save for arguments sake that this was all collectible, that is around 1.8 million dollars per year. And some of you people want to give away the service to a private. Did you see the complaints over Winder spending under $200,000 on employee raises, what do you think people will say if we give away nearly 2 million in income?

#12.1.1 Don't forget on 12/08/11 at 08:48 AM [Reply]

Don't forget about the expense side of the equasion. Salaries, fuel, insurance, benefits, law suits, collections department, etc, etc, etc...all add up to more than the 2 million in collections. I can gurantee you that the county loses money on collections vs expenses...

#12.1.1.1 Anonymous on 12/08/11 at 09:01 AM [Reply]

Well, if you pay a subsidy of 1 million to a private service, then lose 1.8 million in revenue, then the county is out 2.8 million. The budget for fire plus EMS isn't much more than that.

#12.1.2 observer on 12/08/11 at 09:54 AM [Reply]

Medicare and Medicaid would have reimbursed over $130,000. That's real money.

#12.1.2.1 really!!!! on 12/08/11 at 10:00 AM [Reply]

baha before or after reductions? and before or after they pay all the behind payments they have already! the Govt is having spending issues which encumber them from paying debts to private parties but I guess other Govt bodies may get paid so as not to let them lose control over the Sheeple!

#12.1.2.1.1 observer on 12/08/11 at 11:19 AM [Reply]

The CFO, who has to pay attention to stuff like making sure revenues are sufficient to cover expenses, stated that the projected loss to the county's general fund would be $159,120.

#12.2 Anon on 12/08/11 at 08:54 AM [Reply]

And you know from what? Your work experience!

#12.2.1 Don't forget on 12/08/11 at 08:59 AM [Reply]

Actually I do!

#12.2.1.1 Anon on 12/08/11 at 09:39 AM [Reply]

That was actually for Mr. Anderson, but Yes, the same would apply to you as well. Neither have a clue I am sure.

#12.2.1.1.1 Anonymous on 12/09/11 at 12:09 PM [Reply]

Actually, I have 35 yrs. of operational business/financial management experience my friend. Your opinion of my business experience is just that, your opinion, not the real facts. Please remember that in the future.........
DuWayne

#12.3 yes on 12/08/11 at 09:37 AM [Reply]

and one more reason why Govt is not good! reduce Govt in size scope and power and reduce those that get almost free welfare! those that would be fired if not in Govt jobservice!

#13 DuWayne Anderson on 12/09/11 at 12:14 PM [Reply]

We are talking about letting an EMS license lapse in the first place. None of this would matter if someone would have done their job.........That is the real issue here..... lack of responsibility and accountability.........
DuWayne

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EMS lapse costs Barrow $150,000; officials sought to have state backdate license

Barrow Journal

EMS lapse costs Barrow $150,000; officials sought to have state backdate license

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