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Commissioners express concern over AmeriPro EMS ramp-up as county covers transition costs
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Summary
County commissioners pressed staff on staffing shortfalls after AmeriPro took over EMS operations, approved a commercial lease and a budget amendment that includes $470,000 to cover EMS service-cost differences during transition, and asked for a status meeting with AmeriPro management this week.
Columbia County commissioners raised operational concerns about the transition to private contractor AmeriPro for emergency medical services, citing staffing shortfalls during a 60-day ramp-up period and approving funding and a lease to support the transition.
The board approved a commercial lease with AmeriPro for station space and set the first rent payment to begin April 2. Staff confirmed AmeriPro is operating a reduced number of units during the ramp-up and that the contract allows a 60-day period for full staffing and vehicle deployment. Several commissioners said the county is currently worse off in some response metrics and urged a status meeting to press AmeriPro for concrete staffing timelines.
The board also approved a budget amendment that included a $470,000 transfer from general reserves to pay the difference between budgeted EMS expenses and actual costs under the AmeriPro contract. Staff said they will hold a status meeting this week with AmeriPro and county operations to evaluate whether additional measures (including requests in the coming budget cycle for locally owned units) will be necessary to meet coverage goals.
What’s next: staff will meet with AmeriPro operations this week, report back to commissioners if material problems remain, and include EMS capacity needs when preparing budget requests.
