Ambulance switch splits Saugus officials

SAUGUS – Saugus will be switching ambulance providers after 14 years with Cataldo Ambulance, Inc. for one that public safety officials say will be a better service to the town – but others are not so convinced.Town Manager Scott Crabtree said he, Fire Chief Donald McQuaid and Police Chief Dominic DiMello chose American Ambulance Services above the proposal of longtime provider Cataldo and others because it provided “a superior service.”The trio counted many benefits in their support of the switch that they claimed Cataldo could not provide, including one ambulance dedicated to the town and two to three others as back-ups, standby service during athletic and public events, and a pre-prom drunk driving skit for high school students free of charge.DiMello and McQuaid were most excited about first responder, CPR and defibrillator training that would be included for police officers and anyone else in town that wanted to learn, also free of charge, and that American Ambulance would cut response time to six minutes by moving to a more central location in town. Finally, Crabtree said that by providing their own emergency medical dispatch, the cost of the liability and training for a Saugus employee would be eliminated.Crabtree could not, however, provide a number for the cost savings to the town, saying only that it was “considerable.” When pressed by Selectman Steve Castinetti, Crabtree replied, “It?s not just about the savings.”Castinetti asked for numbers in the meeting, and three days later he said he hadn?t received any. “It sounds fishy, to be quite frank,” he said.Dennis Cataldo, vice president of Cataldo Ambulance, tried to speak up at the meeting, but Chairman Michael Serino told him because it was not a public hearing, he would have to schedule an appointment at a later time.As he left the meeting, Cataldo said, as presented, the services that American Ambulance were said to provide were “grossly inaccurate.”In a phone interview, Cataldo said his company had been providing the same benefits and services that appealed to Crabtree for free in the 14 years the company had been in town. Cataldo said with his company, Saugus had a full-time dedicated ambulance and a garage in town, with regional vehicles minutes away and seven communication centers to American Ambulance?s one. He questioned the care that American Ambulance would give to residents.?It makes my company look as though we weren?t providing adequate service, and that?s completely false,” said Cataldo. He further added that, in his tenure in Saugus, the company had never received a complaint.When asked why he thought the town was switching providers, Cataldo said it was “personal relationships with people who work at company chosen that have direct family members that work at the Town Hall senior level.”Cataldo wouldn?t elaborate, but American Ambulance New England?s Northern Business Development manager is John Hatch, husband of town Collector/Treasurer Wendy Hatch and former manager of Kasabuski Arena.Cataldo said it could also be his relationship with a former town manager that he wouldn?t name.Crabtree said American Ambulance would start in town Dec. 1. Cataldo said his contract with the town expired June 30, and upon hearing that Cataldo Ambulance was no longer needed in town, he provided documentation that the company would cease to provide service on Oct. 31.?If I have to be available to the town, we?ll work out an arrangement,” said Cataldo. “I would never put the town in a position without ambulance coverage.”