** Texas man sentenced in driving death of Georgia paramedic
** Alberta municipalities lining up against centralized ambulance dispatch
UNITED STATES NEWS
** A Dallas, Texas man has been sentenced to 14 years in jail after pleading guilty Wednesday in the driving death of Tallapoosa, Georgia EMT Jason Dale Strickland, 37. The Douglas County Sentinel (Mitch Sneed/November 13) said Francisco Ferrer, 34, copped to tags of vehicular homicide, driving under the influence, and following too close in the March 25, 2012 accident. According to the newspaper, Ferrer had spent the evening before the crash drinking at a strip club. After getting behind the wheel of his Honda Element, he hit Strickland’s Harley Davidson motorcycle on the I-20 around 5 a.m. as Strickland was on his way home from work. Ferrer’s blood alcohol several hours after the collision was .125. Along with jail time, Ferrer will also serve a one year probation and pay a $3,000 fine.
CANADA NEWS
** Local governments in Alberta appear to be lining up against a provincial plan to centralize ground ambulance dispatch. That is the word from the Calgary Herald (Jamie Komarnicki/November 14) which said both the Lethbridge and Red Deer councils have passed motions calling on the province to rescind the plan. Some 10 other communities have also lined up in opposition, with a meeting this week of the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association expected to focus on the issue. Although initially broached in 2009, the idea stalled until a health watchdog report last year endorsed the move. Most of concerns center on dispatch delays believed to be inherent in an out-of-community system. In response to the agitation, a spokesman for Health Minister Fred Horne said they were going ahead with the change largely because of the health quality council recommendation.
