The Coral Gables Times

2 THE CORAL GABLES TIMES Thursday, September 7, 1961 People, Cats?

CHECKING THE RESUSCITOR, one of the most vital pieces of equipment for the Emergency-Rescue Team, are, left to right Coral Gables firemen Harold Benson, Paul LeFebve, and Gillum Davis Jr.

Have Team--Will Rescue; Destination Unknown

By RAYMOND LANG Times Reporter The siren wails and red light blinks. The car fairly leaped out of the Coral Gables Fire Station onto Salzedo Street. Where were they going, those two men in the red station wagon? Their destination could well be anywhere. From giving first aid at a car accident, to providing oxygen to an elderly heart attack victim to the rare instance of getting a cat out of a television set. 600 CALLS This is the emergency-rescue team speeding to one of almost 600 calls last year. Three times more than 1957. "It's evolved into a vital operation," said Fire Chief Paul Matheson. "It's a service—a vital service that's needed." SOURCE OF COMFORT Chief Matheson said it is a great source of comfort for a Gableite to know a 24-hour team, skilled in rescue and emergency work, is ready to roll at a moment's notice. "The bulk of the runs we have are for persons hurt in automobile accidents," the chief said, "and every effort is made to alleviate their suffering." SKILLED HANDS In a severe accident, for example, a person may be suffering from a broken back. And this requires skilled hands to lift the injured from the wreckage. "Next would be heart attacks," the chief continued, "where they need oxygen and need it quick. Others would be home accidents which require immediate attention." The team's basic function is not to replace a doctor or ambulance at an accident, but to provide immediate first aid. This is the emergency phase. SPEED TO SCENE The rescue phase enters the scene when the team speeds to a beach or pool to pump desperately-needed oxygen into the lungs of a near-drowning victim. Or like the time during last year's hurricane when the team rescued a man trapped in his overturned car. The word 'team' is emphasized. Two men from each of three shifts make up the emergency-rescue operation. Success depends on coordinated efforts. But teamwork is just one part of it. Equipment plays a vital role. And they know it. Each shift checks the equipment: rope, both nylon and hemp; a resuscitator; spare oxygen tanks, a hydraulic jack to spring open a jammed door or lift up a car; a first aid kit; stretchers; and it goes on. As Chief Matheson put it, "You never know what to expect."

Beef Dinner For Blood

The First Christian Church of Coral Gables' Joy Class will donors of their Blood Bank serve a roast beef dinner to Sept. 25, from 4 to 7 p.m. Prospective donors must be between the ages of 21 and 60, or 18 to 21 with consent of parents. Physical tests will be given to determine the ability of the donor to give without injury to himself. Mrs. Ruth Ottenberg is in charge of the program. To advise her at HI 6-0972 or the church office, 222 Menores Ave., HI 6-6132. The Delta Gamma Sorority is hostess for the day.

Sarasota Likes Self-Insurance Plan

By W. O. FRITTS Reporter for Sarasota Herald-Tribune SARASTOA — The City of Sarasota's self-insurance program is largely confined to three major categories: general liability, workmen's compensation and its pension programs. The city has never carried any commercial insurance in the liability field. Except for a $1,000 budgeted sum for settlement of small claims, no outright cash reserve is provided. Edward S. Hoyt, who administers the city's insurance portfolios, points to several factors in the city's position on liability insurance. "For one thing," he says, "the city as a whole is in good physical condition. Furthermore, the city is largely an automotive community, not pedestrian." FEWER ACCIDENTS This means that accident-producing physical aspects — such as sidewalks — are somewhat minimized, a factor that the city seriously considers in its self-insurance policy. "We've also found," Hoyt says, "that coverage by commercial insurance companies in this field tends to create a great many nuisance settlements. As a result, the overall insurance cost rises because of losses that get paid under those conditions." What happens if a large amount must be paid a claimant? Where does the money come from? "A large amount," Hoyt says, "would come from whatever unearmarked reserve funds are available. It might come from current fund surplus, or the city might have to forego some budgeted work or possibly raise the money from some outside source — and, in an extreme case, it might have to levy additional millage." ABSORB 'REASONABLE' AMOUNT However, Hoyt plints out, "The general financing ability of the city in the past has been such that a loss in a reasonable amount could be paid without undue budget hardship." In the field of workmen's compensation, two major factors were noted in the city's preference for self-insurance. Both dealt with "loaded" premium rates. Too often in the past, Hoyt says, municipalities were lax in letting a workman go off the job under compensation without adequate justification. This resulted in adverse loss ratios for insurance companies which, in turn, "loaded" their rates for insurance to the city. premium rates. The cost was "Another difficulty," Hoyt says, "was that many times the awarding of this insurance to a carrier was connected to political patronage — that is, among municipalities as a whole. This also tended to induce companies to load their premium rates, creating a disproportionately high cost." As far as Sarasota is concerned, Hoyt says: MINIMUM PREMIUM "For a number of years we purchased commercial insurance under a premium retrospective computation plan which resulted in a minimum premium for the city, which was based on the losses involved for any particular year. "This particular coverage was purchased through an out-of-town agent by reason of the fact that — at the time — it was the only policy that could be secured. After receiving some proposals from local agents, the coverage was awarded to a local agent whose company in turn refused to renew the policy when it came up for renewal. "Again we were unable to secure an attractive proposal from any other company and, as a result, turned to the field of self-insurance and now have our claims service handled by an administrative organization. The city's third field of self-insurance covers its three pension plans: the General Employes' Pension Plan, the Police Pension Fund and the Firemen's Pension Fund. "The fire and police plans," Hoyt says, "are an outgrowth of plans which were started by each of those two groups as an individual departmental plan, and which for a long time received very little supervision as an official pension plan. In recent years both of these plans have received close scrutiny, both by the city and state. The state's interest stems from a refund to each plan of 1 per cent of certain insurance premiums which are written within the city by commercial insurance companies. RESTRICT FIREMEN "At the present time, state law requires that the Police Pension Plan shall be funded on an actuarially sound basis in order that the plan may continue to receive the 1 per cent refund. It is expected that the Firemen's Pension Plan will have a similar restriction after the next legislative session." In regard to the General Employes' Pension Plan, Hoyt notes, it was decided it should be self-insured "inasmuch as the city already had certain financial, actuarial, and clerical facilities already available at no extra cost, and it was found that a sound plan could be formulated at a more reasonable cost." MINIMUM REACTION The present method of administering the insurance portfolio is meeting the needs of the city with a minimum of adverse reaction from the commercial insurance agents. In fact, many prospective proposals have not materialized because the agents frankly told us that they could not improve on the coverage which then existed. "Inasmuch as the city has been able to save the fairly large fixed premiums which would have been otherwise paid, the self-insurance field has resulted in a substantial savings up to the present time." In the matter of making awards, a vareity of methods have been used, Hoyt says. "The basis of this award is a complicated and difficult procedure. Under any type of system the ultimate goal is the purchase of the best coverage for a municipality at the least premium cost. "Obviously, the rewarding of political patronage in thi area does not produce maximum benefits for the city. Some types of insurance do not lend themselves to variations in rate through competitive bids because of certain statutory limitations. ADVISORY BOARD "The use of insurance advisory boards will many times result in lack of continuity in awarding policies which will produce excessive costs, as well as the element that these boards do not always reflect a thinking consistent with the municipality's viewpoint. "We have, in the last few years, found that the most successful policy is one o which any agent is welcome to review any insurance coverage and submit a proposal which he feels would improve the city's portfolio of coverage. "The city may elect to accept the proposal if, after due consideration, the city feels that it is in its best interest to do so. This has the significant advantage that instead of going through a stylized bid procedure at certain specified intervals the entire portfolio is open to bid on a continuous basis. "Obviously it is in the best interest of an insurance agent who currently has a policy with the city to review his coverage and keep the city covered at all times with the best insurance available."