The last time it happened, a crew from the Wichita Fire Department spent two to three hours at the scene.
It wasn’t a fire, auto wreck or medical emergency.
The battery of a wheelchair had gone dead, stranding its occupant.
City Council member Sue Schlapp said police and fire officials respond to such incidents about 50 times per year, with a cost to the city of about $50 per call.
What to do with a 600-pound wheelchair? You can’t pick it up and put it in a car.
“It’s a situation we’re ill-prepared for,” said Mike Rudd, deputy fire chief.
The calls tie up a crew that might be needed elsewhere, and they cost the city money.
Schlapp became aware of the problem when she saw it happen to a friend. The battery of his wheelchair had conked out, and firefighters had arrived to help.
“The Fire Department was there with the engine running and the staff trying to help the gentleman,” said Schlapp, who had been driving past the scene. “It became apparent we had system that somehow wasn’t very efficient.”
It happens all over the city, but many incidents involve residents of the Timbers, an independent living community for people with disabilities at 2021 N. Old Manor.
The Cerebral Palsy Research Foundation, which owns the complex and serves as landlord, provides door-to-door, wheelchair-accessible transportation for people all over the city through Timber Lines Transportation Services.
Timber Lines operates Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., so if a battery-powered wheelchair goes dead after 5 p.m., there isn’t any transportation available.
Liz Karp, public relations director at the research foundation, said police and fire responders sometimes call the transportation director at home, and he comes to pick up the occupants.
But those trips aren’t reimbursed, and they’re an expense for a service that’s already under-funded, Karp said.
Schlapp said funds are needed to add somebody who can be on-call when wheelchairs break down after hours and on weekends.
The city can’t fund it, she said.
“The city can’t function as a provider to all organizations with wheelchairs in the city,” Schlapp said.
The rest of the council is aware of the problem, she said, but it isn’t on the city’s agenda yet.
A meeting with involved parties was held a few weeks ago, and she’s waiting for a proposal to take to the city. Karp said the proposal is still being fine-tuned.
Churches, other organizations or individuals could step in to help, Schlapp said.
“Maybe the easiest thing would be for somebody in the community to say, ‘Yeah, I’ll fund that operation,’ ” Schlapp said. “I think this is a definite answerable situation.
BY FRED MANN
The Wichita Eagle
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