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Council orders workshop on ambulance services after data concerns; RFQ already issued
Summary
Councilors pressed staff for response-time and performance data and directed a workshop on EMS/ambulance services within about 10 days. Staff said the contract with the current provider expires in November and that an RFQ has been posted so other vendors can propose.
Council members raised repeated concerns about the reliability and oversight of ambulance services in Port Arthur during the July 29 meeting and directed city staff to convene a workshop on emergency medical services within approximately 10 days. The request followed multiple council members’ recollections of past service problems and a desire to see city-controlled data on response times and system performance.
Deputy Fire Chief Antonio Mitchell explained the operational relationship between the city’s PSAP (dispatch) and private ambulance providers and said the data the city holds differ from providers’ internal reports because the PSAP receives and routes the original 911 calls. Mitchell said he is satisfied with day-to-day communications with the current provider but confirmed the city needed to provide a transparent baseline and performance metrics for council review.
City Manager Lynn and procurement staff said the current provider contract was extended and will expire in November; because of that timeline the city has issued a request for qualifications (RFQ) to allow other providers to respond if they wish. Council member Kinlaw and others sought a written baseline of response statistics, levels of service, and data on call handling and performance; council also asked that staff meet with the incumbent provider to discuss outstanding performance issues.
Council approved a motion to schedule a workshop on ambulance services; staff said they will poll council for available dates and aim to hold the meeting within 10 days, with the possibility of combining it with an already planned special meeting if schedules align. The workshop will include the fire department, EMS providers, procurement and legal staff and should present clear response-time data, unit availability and options for one-provider or multi-provider service models.
Direct quotes from the meeting: - Deputy Interim Fire Chief Antonio Mitchell: "If they're the best, they're gonna win out every time... If they're the best company, no matter what we do, we should have been to sort our citizens that, hey. Look. We've done our due diligence, and this is why." (paraphrased verbatim in transcript)
Next steps: Staff to compile and present PSAP-derived response-time data, provider performance records, and procurement/RFQ status at the workshop; procurement will continue RFQ processing so responses are available before the November contract expiration.
