A police substation in Leone and first responder coverage to under-served areas in American Samoa are two Department of Public Safety projects approved recently for funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

The construction of the Leone substation, with a cost of $700,000 and the Emergency Medical Service (EMS) First Responder Coverage to Underserved Areas at a cost of $600,000 is being funded by portions of the more than $30 million American Samoa gets from the U.S. Department of Education’s State Fiscal Stabilization Fund provision of ARRA.

LEONE SUBSTATION

DPS project description says the highest population density for American Samoa is now the central and western districts of Tutuila, and this has contributed to the subsequent rise in demand for public safety services.

It points out that the Tafuna substation serves the entire central and western districts with the main headquarters about 7 miles away.

“Substations are essential to the local community as they serve as a strategic station for medical, police and fire fighting services,” says DPS, adding that the Western District encompasses several outlying villages that are located more than 10 miles away from the Tafuna substation. 

The proposed Leone substation will be located in proximity to many of the outlying villages and first responders will then have the ability to respond more efficiently and effectively to emergency calls or reports from western district residents, according to the project description.

This substation “will be a considerable contribution to the improvement of services to residents and will ensure and promote safer communities,” according to DPS, whose budget proposal for the project calls for $575,000 for the construction of the 4200 sq.feet building, $60,000 for Engineering services, $36,000 for equipment and office supplies and $29,000 allocated for “contingencies”.

Project supervision, administration, construction management and inspection will be performed by the Department of Public Works while the construction itself will be awarded to a qualified and eligible contractor, resulting in the creation of new jobs for construction workers.

The substation will be staffed with potentially new employees, said DPS.

EMS PROJECT

For EMS, the project is called the “[EMS] First Responder Coverage to Underserved Areas”, which states that EMS’ ability to respond in a timely manner as part of the territory’s multi-agency preparedness first responders is impeded by the lack of safe U.S. Department of Transportation approved ambulance units (three old ambulances and three converted mini vans), poor equipment, and lack of  certified Emergency Medical Technicians, or EMTs, to provide pre-hospital care in the outer districts with no EMS coverage.

According to DPS, delayed and long response time from the central district EMS station to either side of Tutuila is “unacceptable in this day and age, and it has also left people in outer village districts at high risk.”

People requiring EMS services currently have no choice but to wait for a unit to respond from the EMS base in Fagaalu or else transport their loved ones in a personal vehicle, taxi or bus, said DPS.

To provide adequate emergency medical service to “underserved” territorial districts on the western side of Tutuila, DPS said it needs to:

•    procure two type-1 ambulance units and Advanced and Basic Life Support equipment to base in the western district and to provide emergency services from Futiga to Fagamalo.

•    hire 16 new Emergency Medical Technicians to man the ambulance units that will provide 24/7 coverage for the western district.

•    hire a certified diesel/gasoline engine mechanic to provide mechanical service at all times for the new ambulance units.

•    conduct EMS certification and annual training for all new EMTs

According to the budget allocation, a total of $359,900 is set aside for purchase of the new ambulance units; $40,000 for the Advance Life Support Equipment and Basic Life Support Equipment; more than $150,000 for the new EMTs and the mechanic; and other expenses.

DPS is looking at a sublease with the community health centers in Tafuna and Leone to house the new EMTs and the ambulances. The Leone Community Health Center is currently under construction.