DILLSBORO, IN — Debbie Cornett struggled to breathe on Christmas Day.
The Dillsboro resident told the WCPO 9 I-Team she waited for an out of town ambulance because the ones parked in a garage at the end of her street weren't coming.
"I was scared," Cornett said on Friday. "I'm right here and so it's frustrating to know that there's no one there to even help anybody in this town."
Cornett lives about 100 yards from the Dillsboro Emergency Ambulance Unit.
Dearborn County 911 records show the nonprofit volunteer group failed to respond to nearly 90% of their emergency calls in 2023.
The I-Team requested and received records documenting tens of thousands of 911 calls in Dearborn County in recent years.
Our investigation found Dillsboro's unit didn't respond to calls for people who were unresponsive and heart attack victims.
"If you had a heart attack in Dillsboro, you had a one out of ten chance that they were going to show up," Dearborn County Commissioner Jim Thatcher told WCPO on Friday.
Last year, the I-Team asked Dillsboro Capt. Harry Witteride why the unit responded to so few calls.
He said since COVID, the unit lost half its volunteers and about 90% of its revenue.
"It's just hard to see that the community is upset and we're trying our hardest with what we have," Witteride said.
But Thatcher said after the I-Team's initial stories last summer, the Dillsboro unit responded to even fewer emergencies.
So, in May, the county offered the unit a new contract that would pay $14,600 a month after an initial payment of $5,000 in July.
The funding is available from a new local income tax earmarked for Dearborn County EMS services.
Thatcher provided the I-Team with a copy of the contract after we requested it.
In September — the third month of the contract — Dillsboro's unit would be required to respond to at least 50% of their calls. That increases each month until it reaches 80% in December.
The proposed contract also gives the county representation on the group's board of directors.
"I think the county has thrown them a lifeline and they've decided not to take it," Thatcher said.
Dillsboro's board made a counter offer.
The board wanted $36,500 for services rendered from January 1 through March 2024.
The contract also required the county to pay $22,958 per month and the unit isn't required to respond to a specific percentage of emergency calls.
WCPO requested on-camera interviews with several board members, but they declined or did not respond to our requests.
During a phone conversation with WCPO, Board Chair Steve Gemmer said the county's contract offer is just an attempt to gain control of the organization.
Gemmer confirmed that other board members are related to each other.
Harry Witteride and his wife Velvet are on the board.
Her parents — Ronald and Shirley Smith — are also board members.
"That's strike right there in my opinion," Thatcher said.
Thatcher has other concerns about the Dillsboro unit.
He said Dillsboro has refused to help the Aurora Emergency Rescue Unit.
Aurora had an out of service ambulance and asked Dillsboro's board if they could borrow one of the ambulances parked in Dillsboro's garage.
Even though Aurora responds to many of Dillsboro's calls, Dillsboro didn't provide Aurora with an ambulance.
"It doesn't make any sense unless you're selfish and not fulfilling your mission," Thatcher said.
The contract is expected to be a focus of the county commission's meeting on Thursday.
