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Study recommends Holyoke start with a partnership backup ambulance rather than full city-run transport
Summary
A Fitch & Associates feasibility study presented to the Holyoke City Council Public Safety Committee found that a full city-run 911 transport system could cost $2.2–4.0 million annually, and recommended a partnership or supplemental backup BLS ambulance as a more financially sustainable first step.
A consultant told the Holyoke City Council Public Safety Committee on Nov. 13, 2025, that a partnership model — adding a backup basic life support ambulance operated by the fire department to supplement the current private contractor — is the most financially sustainable way to reduce response-time stress during peak hours.
Fitch & Associates senior associate Chad (Fitch & Associates) presented a feasibility study that analyzed call volumes, contract terms and multiple deployment scenarios. "We estimated that a private contractor would lose annually about $640,000 if they just did 9 11 calls," the presenter said, and added that including non-emergency hospital transports flips the operation into profitability by roughly an 11–12% margin ("a little over $680,000"). The…
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