New ambulance service recommended

EPHRATA — A committee searching for an ambulance service to replace Grant County Fire District 5 recommended choosing American Medical Response (AMR).

Grant County Fire District 5 announced in October it planned to cancel the service. A coalition of 13 agencies including fire districts, hospitals and cities formed a committee to find an ambulance service.

The committee received proposals from Lifeline and American Medical Response by the end of February.

“They were the two largest of the agencies out there,” Ephrata City Administrator Wes Crago said. “Those two proposals were reviewed by the committee. The committee made a recommendation to the agencies. The agencies now are … going to review it on the legislative level.”

The committee studied the two proposals for about three weeks, including background checks, calling or meeting with each reference, contacting supporting agencies served by the companies, discussions with patients and searching for lawsuits, according to the committee’s recommendation.

“Essentially AMR is a larger provider with more nationwide resources,” Crago explained. “They did an extensive financial analysis. They disclosed the rate information. They are very data driven in the decisions that they make.”

Crago pointed out the company doesn’t make rash decisions, calling it a “slow-moving company that really wants to be here for the distance.”

Lifeline didn’t have the same level of strength AMR had, he said, pointing at a contract between AMR and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

“So if there’s a FEMA mobilization, AMR is their contracted provider for that,” Crago said. “One of the people we interviewed in the Spokane area, a large fire district served by AMR, said ‘I can get on the phone and say, ‘I need 200 ambulances here within 30 hours,’ and AMR would be able to provide those resources.’”

If approved, the company will serve a section stretching from near Coulee City in the north to Othello in the south and go near Quincy in the west to the eastern boundary of Grant County. Moses Lake will continue to provide a separate ambulance service, he said. The area is made up of two state Department of Health trauma districts.

Crago said the next step for the coalition is to form an inter-local agreement between the agencies, so it can negotiate with the potential ambulance company.

“We also believe that’s the first step on to a county-wide EMS system, and what we view is something analogous to Grant Transit (Authority),” he said. “GTA is a county-wide system with some taxpayer support and people who use it pay.”

Ambulance services seems to be more important than a transit system, but no county ambulance service exists, Crago said. The nation is trending toward regional systems or local taxpayers are having to support their ambulance service through specific taxes.

The tentative start date for the new company is June 30, he said.

“One of the goals is to have the new crews working alongside district 5 crews during the Memorial Day weekend, which is a rather busy time for emergency medical stuff in our area.” Crago said.

Fire District 5 Chief Roger Hansen said in a previous interview the district plans to provide service until the company is prepared to take over.