Van Zandt County leaders press EMS contractor on slow response times, demand ambulance posted in Precinct 2

Van Zandt County commissioners on July 1 pressed their contracted ambulance provider over response times and the absence of a contractually required ambulance in Precinct 2, a rural area commissioners said has been without a posted unit since the 2019 contract.

The issue matters because the county contract requires 90% of life‑threatening 911 responses to be within 14 minutes, 59 seconds; commissioners presented May 2025 performance data showing the county’s 90th‑percentile response was about 22 minutes and 23 seconds. That, a commissioner said, “is not in compliance with the contract under any circumstance.”

County officials spent more than an hour on the matter in a public workshop, hearing testimony from volunteer firefighters and from CHRISTUS Emergency Management Services officials. Dwayne Collins, a volunteer firefighter and member of the county committee that evaluated providers, said the service “appears to be lacking in meeting their obligations” and asked why CHRISTUS representatives were not previously present to answer questions.

CHRISTUS chief administrative officer Sean Salter told the court he would have an ambulance posted in Precinct 2 within five business days. “We will have an ambulance in Precinct 2,” Salter said, “I can assure you that I'll have that done within 5 business days.” Salter said CHRISTUS had been reviewing heat‑map data to pick an optimal site and had discussed possible locations and construction contributions with local landowners.

County staff and volunteer firefighters described specific incidents where mutual‑aid resources were used and where an ambulance arrived well after one hour; one incident narrative read to the court said an ambulance arrived “without lights, without siren, an hour late.” County staff displayed contract language saying paragraph 4 requires ambulances in specified locations and paragraph 9.2 defines breaches tied to response‑time failures: failure to meet the response standard for three consecutive months or for any four months in a calendar year may be a major breach.

County attorney‑style comments to the court (legal counsel advised the court) said the contract allows notice and, if deficiencies persist, termination for cause. The attorney present recommended notifying the cities that participate under the same timing cycle, and suggested the court could issue formal breach notice if performance did not improve. The court did not vote to terminate the contract at the meeting.

In response to firefighters’ demands, CHRISTUS representatives said they use system‑status management and mutual aid, shifting trucks across a regional footprint; a UTHealth EMS representative at the meeting described the same mutual‑aid approach and said the priority is getting the fastest available unit to the patient, regardless of provider.

The court directed staff to continue compiling performance records and advised the county to give CHRISTUS an opportunity to remedy the deficiencies while preparing to pursue alternatives if the contractor failed to comply. CHRISTUS agreed to provide a manual, record‑level report and to post an ambulance in Precinct 2 within five business days. Commissioners also discussed sending a formal notice of breach, notifying involved cities, and scheduling a follow‑up workshop. The court left open the possibility of formal notice or termination if requirements are not met.

County officials said they would circulate the performance records CHRISTUS committed to provide and would notify cities tied to the county contract. Volunteer fire officials said rural response levels and mutual‑aid usage have steadily increased and that posted ambulances in Precinct 2 would reduce pressure on volunteers.

The court scheduled further review rather than taking immediate termination action; commissioners said the county will monitor CHRISTUS’s promised fixes and consider issuing formal notice if deadlines are missed.