By BECKY THOMAS
Staff Reporter
Spokane will not be part of a countywide ambulance contract, but the Ambulance Service Board has every intention of moving forward without the county's largest city.
The board has been working to create a contract with ambulance provider American Medical Response for more than three years in an effort to manage prices. The Spokane City Council voted 4-3 to end the city's membership on the board at their March 22 meeting, citing the already low costs enjoyed by Spokane residents thanks to an AMR contract that expires in 2013.
Council members who voted to end the board membership said they feared Spokane residents would pay more for ambulance rides if they agreed to be a part of a countywide contract aimed to standardize costs for everyone.
Cheney Mayor Tom Trulove expressed disappointment in the Spokane decision at a March 23 City Council meeting.
“Spokane wants to work together, but only when it works out for them,” he said.
Cheney Fire Chief Mike Winters said that the ambulance board had planned for Spokane backing out, creating two different proposals.
“We had been kind of going with two parallel ideas, having one contract with them and one without them,” he said.
Winters said that the average ambulance call to the West Plains costs $900-$1,000. AMR is the only ambulance service provider in the area, so municipalities and fire districts from across Spokane County are hoping that a cooperative contract will help manage costs and reduce response times.
“Right now there's really no control on things because there's no contract,” Winters said. “We pay whatever they charge.”
Spokane's lack of participation will definitely change the agreement, Winters said, because the city of Spokane has the largest volume of calls in the county and would have given the board more leverage to keep prices reasonable for all area residents.
“We thought it was going to be all for one and one for all but it didn't work out that way,” Winters said. “This is kind of disappointing that they're not going to be involved, but it's not something that can't be overcome.”
Winters said the board hopes to finalize a proposal for AMR in the coming months and to hammer out a contract by the end of the year.
Becky Thomas can be reached at [email protected].
Reader Comments(0)