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County eyes three potential providers to replace city of Batavia ambulance

By Philip Anselmo

BATAVIA, N.Y. — Three potential ambulance providers are being talked about to replace the city of Batavia ambulance service, which will cease to operate as of September 1, according to the Daily News.

Genesee County Manager Jay Gsell told a group of municipal representatives from across the county last night that Rural Metro Corp., Twin City Ambulance and Monroe Ambulance would "likely" submit proposals to the county to take over service.

Explains Joanne Beck in that article:

Volunteer fire companies would still have a role ... and would be able to respond to emergencies and do some transports unless the provider specifically asks for every transport. UMMC has offered space to house ambulances of the future provider and that provider would set itself up as a business, Gsell said. It would make its money by charging customers for each service call. There isn't to be any type of fee charged to the municipality, he said.

Rural Metro is a nationwide corporation whose stock currently trades at $1.25 per share with a six-month high of $2.50 coming at the end of September. The company operates out of 22 states in the continental U.S.

From the company's Web site:

What began with one man's vision has grown today into a company with approximately $500 million in annual revenues and more than 8,000 employees who provide health and safety services throughout the United States. Annually, Rural/Metro's employees respond to more than 1 million calls for assistance.

Monroe Ambulance is a 34-year-old service that operates out of Rochester. From the mission statement:

Monroe Ambulance provides Advanced Life Support with area volunteer ambulance and fire departments, ensuring that patients who live in outlying areas have access to all of our life saving paramedic services. This includes back-up Advanced Life Support to area volunteer agencies, fire departments, and ambulance corps.

We provide medically supervised transports for patients needing transport with minimal assistance (i.e., patients able to move, sit, and walk on their own with slight assistance, such as those traveling home from same day surgery).

We are seeking information on staffing levels for Monroe.

Twin City Ambulance is based in Erie County and serves the suburban Buffalo area. More than 200 technicians make up its core staff.

Twin City was in the news a few years back over a controversial call not to send an ambulance to assist two policemen who had been shot in Buffalo. Critics claimed the call was a callous rejection. Company representatives said that the call was outside the ambulance crew's service area. That report:

We're seeking further information from Gsell on the logistics of having an outside company take over the ambulance service for the county. We will provide those details as they become available.

Robert Harding

This is just my two cents from a municipality where we did the opposite: We stopped outsourcing our ambulance service and started our own service that serves not only Medina, but other parts of the county as well.

We were covered by Rural-Metro. I can't say the service was bad, but not all of the employees were from around here. They just came to work in Medina, but some (if not most) called another town home. It is different when you have your own service and your own friends working with the ambulance service. I can't complain about the service and I know who the EMTs are. They are members of my community.

Again, I speak from the angle here that we did the opposite in Medina. We went from having Rural-Metro to having our fire department providing the service. It's a lot different that way and it makes the service more personal. Plus, it helps the village.

Feb 20, 2009, 4:38pm Permalink
JOSEPH MAROTTA

WBTA is sitting on a converted ambulance that Ive rarely seen moved it sits across from Adam Millers in the parking lot by the church.Im sure it serves a good purpose sitting there while we the tax payers of Blatavia are wondering where we could get a privatized ambulance from.Now if it was land the city wanted they would eminent domain it from a little old lady to build a WALMART or a BJ's right? Oh but didnt they?

Feb 22, 2009, 9:31am Permalink
JOSEPH MAROTTA

Answer;Purchase the converted ambulance from WBTA.Get a new paint job that says ECNALUBMA, OR FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVENT HAD COFFEE YET AMBULANCE BACKWARDS.aND PUT THE GUTS THAT ARE MISSING IF ANY BACK IN IT!HEY YOUVE GOT AN AMBULANCE AND IT DIDNT COST YOU A MILLION DOLLARS IN TAX MONEY YOU DONT HAVE.

Feb 22, 2009, 9:48am Permalink

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