Tire stores will honor some deals

I recently purchased tires from Riverside Tire and now find they are out of business. Is there any other tire companies willing to make good on tire guarantees purchased at Riverside?

-- C.G., Medford

"If the other stores are smart, they'll try to help you out," says Dave Jones, manager of Ed's Tire Factory. He says his company will try to honor such things as free tire rotation.

He also says Ed's carries some of the same brands of tires formerly carried by Riverside.

"If it's a name brand, we can work with the manufacturer," he says. "As far as the mechanical work, they did a lot of `lifetime this' and `lifetime that' while they were going out of business. That part of it's going to be tough to honor."

Riverside Tire was an independent tire business owned by Ulila Simas. It closed last week. Simas couldn't be reached for comment.

Jim Pierce, manager of the north Medford Les Schwab Tire Center, says he and other Les Schwab managers have discussed ways to help out former Riverside customers.

He says Les Schwab stores will take care of rotation and flat repairs.

"We're trying to work out the rest of it," he says.

At a recent Little League game, a player was injured and an ambulance was called. A fire truck and crew also responded to the call, even though there was no fire or threat of one. I understand this is routine. It seems to be a poor utilization of resources; what is the rationale for this policy?

-- Bob K., Medford

In Medford, the nearest fire engine, manned with emergency medical technicians, is called out anytime there's a 911 call that is deemed by the 911 operator to be serious or life threatening, according to Bob Sharp, an acting battalion chief with the Medford Fire Department.

"Quite often we get there before Mercy Ambulance, and with any life-threatening illness, seconds count," Sharp says. "The service we provide sometimes makes the difference between living and dying."

(Send your questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; or by fax to (541) 776-4376; or by e-mail to: youasked@mailtribune.com