A Yakima ambulance company is getting a national award one day after Yakima's Fire Chief criticizes the system and says changes need to be made.
Fire Chief Aaron Markham said yesterday that people are waiting too long for ambulances to arrive, meaning they are losing crucial time.
"We really don't have a system in place that establishes performance measures for the ambulance companies that respond to our area," Markham says.
However, Brian Ireton from Advanced Life Services says the company is meeting all of the state and county response time requirements.
"ALS is required to report to the City of Yakima Fire Department every month for the previous month's response times to calls within the city. We are meeting their requirements for those calls," Ireton says.