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Laramie council approves contract with Fitch & Associates to transition EMS and 911 operations
Summary
The council voted unanimously to hire Fitch & Associates to guide the Laramie Fire Department’s transition to running emergency 911 and EMS billing functions previously handled with a hospital partner; the contract and budget amendment drew questions about scope, timeline and costs.
The Laramie City Council on Jan. 7 approved a contract with Fitch & Associates to help the city transition emergency medical services and E‑911 billing and compliance functions previously handled in partnership with Ivinson Memorial Hospital.
Chief Johnson told the council the city and the hospital decided in November 2024 to “basically go our separate ways” on transfers and related billing, and the department is contracting Fitch to implement a standalone EMS system and help with Medicare/compliance, billing setup and related policies. “They’re very familiar with us. They’re very familiar with what we need to do,” Johnson said.
Why it matters: The change shifts long-distance transfer workload away from Laramie Fire Department crews, which councilors and the chief said has at times removed ambulances from local coverage for hours and increased overtime, maintenance and fuel costs. Councilors framed the move as an effort to improve local coverage, reduce concurrent-call risk and stabilize staffing and morale.
Contract and budget details: The council approved the motion made by Councilor O’Doherty and seconded by Councilor Richardson. Roll-call recorded nine yes votes and zero no votes. The city previously amended its budget on Dec. 3 to cover initial costs through June; Chief Johnson said Fitch’s work is already under way and that the firm estimates the transition effort will take “between 9 months” (as stated in the presentation). The contract includes a notional monthly fee and hourly rates for work beyond the baseline; the chief told councilors any hours above 40 per month would be billed at $300 per hour, and site visits were discussed at $2,200 plus expenses.
Council questions and clarifications: Councilors asked how often Fitch would need to be on site, whether the city would hire additional staff, and what savings the city expects. Johnson said most setup work can be done remotely, that Fitch likely will be on site once for implementation, and that any additional staffing would probably be administrative rather than front-line emergency staff. He estimated the city would reduce the number of ambulances routinely assigned to long-range transfers (from six toward four) and cited projected combined savings in the “neighborhood of … $750,000 to $800,000” when factoring reduced transfers, overtime and vehicle costs (language and figures as presented to the council by Chief Johnson).
Next steps and oversight: The chief said the contract’s termination clause allows the city an exit opportunity and that staff will report to council as implementation progresses. Fitch will also assist the city in selecting a billing vendor to handle claims processing once the department submits electronic patient care records.
Public comment and outcomes: No public speakers addressed this item during the hearing. The motion to approve the contract passed unanimously on a roll-call vote.
Ending: City staff said they plan a phased transition so Laramie Fire Department ambulances are less frequently tied up on long transfers; staff indicated they will return to council with updates and any additional budget requests if off‑ramp hours exceed initial estimates.
