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THE MARCO CITY COUNCIL APPROVED THE HIRING OF 3 NEW FIREFIGHTERS 2 YEARS AGO TO BE USED FOR THE LADDER TRUCK THAT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT HAS, YET THEY ENDED UP ON THE COLLIER COUNTY EMS AMBULANCE, WHEN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ALREADY PUTS A FIREFIGHTER ON THE AMBULANCE, SO NOW 2 FIREFIGHTERS ARE ON THE AMBULANCE, PLUS AN EMS PARAMEDIC. MARCO IS THE ONLY PLACE WHERE THREE PEOPLE ARE ON THE AMBULANCE AND NOW WE AS MARCO ISLAND TAX PAYERS ARE PAYING FOR TWO FIREFIGHTERS ON THE COUNTY AMBULANCE WHEN THEY SHOULD BE ON A FIRE ENGINE. EMS IS BILLING THE CITIZENS AND VISITORS OF MARCO THAT THEY TRANSPORT WHEN THERE ARE 2 MARCO FIREFIGHTERS ON IT AND ONE EMS PARAMEDIC, YET MARCO SEE'S NONE OF THE MONEY MADE FROM TRANSPORTING PATIENTS. WHY ARE WE GIVING 2 FIREFIGHTERS TO EMS FOR FREE WHEN THEY ONLY HAVE ONE EMS PARAMEDIC ON THE AMBULANCE AND THE MARCO ISLAND TAXPAYER GETS TO PAY THE SALARIES OF 2 FIREFIGHTERS THAT ARE ESSENTIALLY WORKING FOR EMS? WE ARE SAVING EMS MONEY BY PAYING FOR PERSONNEL TO WORK FOR THEM AND SAVE THEM THE COST OF ANOTHER EMS EMPLOYEE WORKING ON THE AMBULANCE. THIS MAKES NO SENSE, WE AS MARCO ISLAND TAX PAYERS ARE GIVING 2 FIREFIGHTERS TO EMS FOR FREE WHILE THEY BILL PATIENTS OVER $1000 EVERY TIME THEY GO TO THE HOSPITAL, PLUS THEY GET $$$MILLIONS$$$ EACH YEAR FROM THE TAX BASE OF MARCO TOO, WE ARE GETTING SCREWED IN TWO WAYS!