Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Ems Franchise topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Hot Springs staff recommends awarding EMS franchise to Bridal Flight EMS; final vote set for April 1
Summary
City staff presented a recommendation to award an exclusive ambulance services franchise to Bridal Flight EMS LLC after a competitive review. No final action was taken at the agenda review; the board will consider an ordinance at its April 1 meeting.
City staff at an agenda review recommended that the Board of Directors consider awarding an exclusive emergency medical services franchise to Bridal Flight EMS LLC following a competitive request-for-proposals process, Fire Chief Ed Davis told directors.
The recommendation follows a vendor evaluation in which a review committee ranked Bridal Flight EMS first and LifeNet Inc., the incumbent provider, second. “The EMS franchise holder in Hot Springs is self sustaining and receives no city funding,” Chief Ed Davis said. He added the review committee scored respondents on qualifications, proposed methods, capability and availability, cost and disadvantaged business status.
Why it matters: the franchise determines which private contractor operates ambulance transports and related non‑city EMS functions in Hot Springs. Staff described the decision as consequential for response training, equipment and billing practices and said the board should review transition and contract details before voting.
The review committee members included Deputy City Manager Alliance Spicer, Police Chief Billy Harbinton, Assistant Fire Chief Tom Broughton and Fire Chief Ed Davis. Davis told directors the committee scored four respondents: Bridal Flight EMS (ranked 1), LifeNet Inc. (2), Pafford Medical Services (3) and Southern Paramedic Service (4). Davis said Bridal Flight has a national footprint and higher employee qualification and training standards, and that the company proposed a patient‑centric billing structure that “would alleviate billing confusion and reduce the cost to uninsured patients in Hot Springs.”
Directors asked for additional documentation before making a final decision. Requests included: itemized charge schedules for each bidder, the review committee scoring and notes, a breakdown of assets and staffing Bridal Flight would bring to Hot Springs if awarded the franchise, and records related to a 2022 incident cited by one director (call type, call timeline, response times and outcome). Several directors also asked for the records of a previously established EMT advisory committee and for consideration of reconstituting an oversight/advisory group to monitor franchise performance.
Staff outlined a 90‑day transition period should the board approve a new franchise holder, during which the operator would establish stations, staffing and dispatch operations. Chief Davis said Bridal Flight would be required by contract to operate a specified number of advanced life support (ALS) vehicles and to provide staffing levels aligned with the contract. He noted that new ambulances typically cannot be procured in 90 days and that initial vehicles are likely to be re‑purposed used ambulances purchased on the open market.
No formal vote occurred at the agenda review. The board will consider ordinance O‑25‑20, the proposed franchise agreement, at its April 1 meeting at 6 p.m. in City Hall.
