County looks to improve EMS functions
Commissioners will select an ambulance provider, fill the County Medical Director's job and penalize false alarms
BY FRANKLIN HAYES Gulf Breeze News franklin@gulfbreezenews.com

County government is gearing up to improve emergency medical services for residents. County commissioners are preparing to select a new private firm to operate countywide ambulance service, fill the position of countywide Medical Director and rework a related ordinance.

Government officials are working to implement the some of the recommendations presented by Fitch and Associates late last year. In early December 2006 the Missouri-based consulting company presented county government officials with their findings, which were the result of an eight month long study of the county's emergency medical system.

In early February, county officials put out a Request For Proposals (RFP) for countywide ambulance service. County officials received bids from Care Ambulance Service, Lifeguard Ground Transportation, American Medical Response and Midway Fire District. Commissioners will hear detailed presentations from each provider about their bid on Tuesday, May 8.

"We are scheduling those times for the board so we can hear those and we realize that it's going to take longer than normal to hear each one of those RFP's," said Commissioner Robert 'Bob' Cole.

County Administrator Hunter Walker said he expects each presentation to take approximately two hours, including a question and answer session.

County officials are also looking to consolidate the position of Medical Director. The county's emergency medical service currently operates under a two-tiered system; fire fighters typically arrive on scene first and help assess the situation and stabilize the patient if necessary. Emergency Medical Technicians usually arrive minutes later with more sophisticated medical and transport equipment. A universal Medical Director would develop standard policies that would apply to both tiers and would help streamline the transition from one of the county's 15 tier one responders to the tier two transport provider.

Public Services Director Tony Gomillion hopes to further streamline emergency medical service by cleaning up a county ordinance.

"On the false security alarm ordinance [we're] basically targetting the commercial entities that don't repair their alarms and our first responders might be responding to those," Gomillion said. "We have some situations where they go unrepaired. It's just a waste of resources. That's what that ordinance would address."