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Richmond Ambulance Authority warns of fleet shortfall after promised capital funding appears missing
Summary
The RAA CEO told the committee the authority faces a possible 30% cut to expected capital subsidy for ambulances, three-year lead times to order vehicles and a projected 26% price increase; the committee requested documentation from the CAO on prior funding commitments within two weeks.
Chip Decker, chief executive officer of the Richmond Ambulance Authority, told the Public Safety Standing Committee on Nov. 1 that the authority faces an urgent capital and operational risk if promised funding for ambulance replacements is not provided.
Decker said the authority responded to 6,408 calls in September and that it is "pretty much full staff" for paramedics but has seven EMT vacancies and a cadet program wait list of about 135 people. He said hospital "wall time" 94 the interval between ambulance arrival and patient transfer 94 averaged just over 42 minutes in recent data, limiting ambulance availability. Revenue challenges tied to federal Medicare add‑ons and slower claims processing after a federal shutdown add near‑term uncertainty to billing receipts, he said.
On capital, Decker described a scenario in which approximately $3.1 million in capital funds intended to purchase ambulances is not available to the authority, which would amount to roughly a 30% reduction in the expected subsidy for vehicle purchases. He warned that lead times for ambulances are about three years and that he has seven vehicles scheduled for replacement; he said some ambulances that come off the schedule will be retired and that replacements require capital now to avoid multi‑year delays. Decker said the authority currently operates about 32 ambulances and that shortages force "hot swaps" in the field rather than routine vehicle servicing, accelerating vehicle wear and raising operational risk.
Decker said the authority historically offsets 9‑1‑1 revenue with nonemergency transport work and that reductions in the ability to run prescheduled transports would increase net cost to the city. He described a prior arrangement under which the city purchased ambulances and leased them to the authority but said staff cannot locate the line item for the $3.1 million capital commitment and that the current administration indicated that the funds may not have been encumbered as previously understood.
Committee members pressed for documentation and immediate follow‑up. The committee asked staff to request a written response from the CAO (and for the CAO or appropriate administration officials to appear) and set a two‑week timeline for answers on where the committed capital currently resides and how the authority will be funded. Members expressed concern about public-safety implications if ambulances are not procured on schedule.
