Local Ambulance Response Concerns Raised Following Death of Winthrop Toddler

Special to the Transcript Ambulance services to the town are under the microscope following the death of a two-year-old girl last Friday. When the call for an unresponsive toddler came in on Friday, both ambulances that service the town by Action Ambulance were out on other calls and would have taken 20 minutes to respond to the scene. Fire Chief Scott Wiley transported the child to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston in the back of his vehicle while firefighters performed CPR on the child. The two-year-old was later pronounced dead at Mass General. Wiley later said the call was the most difficult he has been on in his 33 years as a firefighter. According to a statement from the town, if an Action ambulance stationed in Winthrop is needed at a medical emergency in another town, the ambulance company cannot decline the call. “Action is also prohibited by state law from prioritizing calls for service once an ambulance has been dispatched,” according to the statement. “Likewise, ambulance services in other communities cannot decline to send ambulances to Winthrop if they are available.” Shortages in ambulance staffing and response times have been a concern across the region and the country. Both the Revere and Chelsea city councils have called for meetings with the ambulance companies providing their services to discuss staff shortages and response times. “We were 10 minutes from the best hospital in the world and we made the decision to transport,” said Wiley on Monday. Wiley added that any talk about how if an ambulance were available, the outcome might have been different is purely speculative and that there would likely not have been a different outcome. Town officials met with Action Ambulance on Monday to discuss the incident and the issues facing emergency services. Town Manager Tony Marino called for help from the state legislature to help address staffing issues to ensure that all towns receive adequate coverage for emergencies. “We need to start reaching out to the technical schools, we need to start working on those staffing shortages, and we need to be able to train the next generation,” said Marino. The two-year-old was found in the home where former police Lt. James Feeley lived. Feeley is currently facing child rape charges. The Suffolk County District Attorney’s office stated that the investigation into the death of the two-year-old indicated no signs of foul play or physical trauma. The office was awaiting an autopsy to determine the cause of death.