Study recommends Holyoke start with a partnership backup ambulance rather than full city-run transport

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 study modeled 6-, 8- and 10-minute response intervals, reviewed the current contract (started Sept. 2022 with one-year terms and extensions) and mapped demand by time of day.

Why it matters: the consultant told the committee that Holyoke’s system sees about 17,600 calls and roughly 13,500 transports; demand peaks in the middle of the day when hospital transfers and 911 calls overlap, driving system workload from about 37% up to 81%. Fitch estimated that a full fire-department-run 911 transport system could cost the city approximately $2.2–4.0 million annually. By contrast, adding one or two fire-department ambulances in a supplemental role could be revenue neutral for the first one or two units; a third ambulance would add roughly $310,000 in personnel costs.

Private providers and department leaders who spoke at the meeting framed the recommended approach as cooperative. A private EMS representative with statewide 911 contracts said the city reaching a 'level 0' — having no ambulances available — creates dangerous delays when mutual aid must come from other communities and a supplemental truck in Holyoke could be "vitally important." The Fire Chief and the Fitch consultant both said a backup BLS ambulance would help smooth high-demand periods and reduce the reliance on out-of-town mutual aid.

What the committee did: after the presentation the committee voted to proceed with committee business and accepted the study presentation; the councilors discussed next steps including mayoral conversations and, if the city proceeds, equipment procurement and budgeting decisions.

Context and caveats: the consultant said some financial assumptions were based on typical private-provider payer mixes and that the contractor’s internal financials were not available for review. The study’s cost estimates and the revenue-neutral transports-per-day assumptions (roughly 2–3 transports per day for a single added unit to break even) are model outputs and could change if contract details, payer mixes or actual operational costs differ. The presentation and data tables were provided as part of a fuller report available from the city clerk.

Next steps: councilors urged continued coordination with the mayor’s office and with the current contractor; any move to buy equipment or change operations would follow further budget and policy decisions.