Tafuna EMS unit's new home is the perfect location, says LBJ CEO

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — LBJ Medical Center chief executive officer, Faumuina John Faumuina says the new home for the EMS Tafuna Unit is the perfect site for them as first responders, as they work hand-in-hand with the fire crew at the Pago Pago International Airport.

Port Administration director Taimalelagi Dr. Claire Poumele told Samoa News earlier this week that Port and LBJ have established a Memorandum of Understanding that allows the EMS Tafuna unit operations to be housed at the Airport Rescue Fire Fighter (ARFF) station at the Tafuna Airport.

“We believe this collaborative decision will strengthen the emergency response activities within the airport and the most highly populated districts in our territory,” Taimalelagi said.

Responding to a Samoa News request for comments, Faumuina said he is “very grateful to Taimalelagi and her staff for being accommodating and helpful as we struggled to find space to relocate our EMS [Tafuna] crew in and around the western district area.”

As previously reported by Samoa News, the EMS Tafuna Unit was informed by Police Commissioner Le’i Sonny Thompson to vacate the space it occupied at the Tafuna police substation. The order to leave the premises was made through the LBJ CEO’s office. (See Samoa News Apr. 18 edition for details).

Faumuina told Samoa News on Wednesday the Department of Public Safety “has plans” for the space EMS was occupying in Tafuna “thus forcing us to move out and return” to the EMS location in Fagaalu, next to the hospital. It is unclear what those "plans" are.

“The need for EMS services in the Western District is unquestionable, given the size of the population residing on this side of Tutuila Island,” Faumuina pointed out, adding that the ARFF location is a “perfect site for EMS as a first responder, especially the fact that they work hand-in-hand with the Fire Crew at the airport.”

He said they are working on finalizing the MOU, which “we already discussed” with Port Administration.

“We are thankful and look forward to working close with the Fire crew at the airport and to serving the population on this side of the island,” he added.

Many in Tualauta, the most populated county in the territory applauded the news that the EMS Tafuna Unit had found a new home at the airport. There was a lot of criticism of the move by DPS taking EMS out of the Tafuna substation, with some of critics even contacting their lawmakers.