Town told new state law shifts choice of ambulance provider to cities; Brigham City license remains in force through 2027

Manaway — A Bureau of Emergency Medical Services representative told the Manaway Town Council on Aug. 21 that a new state law shifts responsibility for naming ambulance providers to local governments and that Brigham City, the town's current provider, must honor its existing license through Aug. 30, 2027.

Dan Camp, a Bureau of EMS representative, told the council the changes come from Senate Bill 215 and related statute language. He said the bill, effective May 7, 2025, removes a prior “needs and necessity” test and places the responsibility for deciding which ambulance service will cover an incorporated city or county with the city or county itself. “Brigham City's license expires 08/30/2027,” Camp said, and “anyone who holds a license…has to honor that license until their expiration date.”

Why it matters: the change requires Manaway and other jurisdictions served by Brigham City to prepare a formal procurement process — a request for proposals (RFP) — to select ambulance coverage before licenses expire. Camp recommended publishing an RFP about six months before a provider's license expiration date and holding public meetings at least three months before the deadline so a new service can be in place if the current provider does not continue.

Camp described practical steps for cities: monitor license-expiry dates, issue an RFP (the bureau recommended publishing six months before expiration), hold public hearings, set local goals for cost, quality and access, and send letters of support for the selection to the state. He said the bureau will remain available to advise towns during the process and that the bureau’s program manager is coordinating with the state attorney general’s office on legal questions.

Council members asked whether Manaway should treat the April deadlines in letters it had received from Brigham City as binding. Camp said the bureau’s position is to “plan for April and hope for August ’27,” because the attorney general’s office was still reviewing whether providers can suspend service prior to license expiration. He added that the bureau’s current advice is that providers must continue service until their license expiration date unless the attorney general rules otherwise.

Camp also summarized local-service options Manaway could include in an RFP: basic EMT ambulance services, advanced EMT, or paramedic-level coverage. He said the town can tailor service level requirements to local needs rather than accepting whatever level a provider currently supplies.

Council members discussed negotiating with Brigham City and seeking written proposals for cost. One council member urged moving now to determine what Brigham City would charge, saying “if they come down and say, hey, we want $10,000 a year…we can probably handle that. If they come down and say they want $500,000…we can't do it.” Camp and the council agreed the town should request a written price from Brigham City so Manaway can evaluate negotiating or preparing an RFP sooner rather than later.

Ending: Camp offered to email his presentation and statutory citations to council staff and to remain available for technical assistance while the town tracks the attorney general’s guidance. Council members said they would follow up with Brigham City mayor-to-mayor and prepare to issue local procurement steps if necessary.