Bartow County Outsources 9-1-1 Ambulance Service (ICYMI)

BARTOW COUNTY, GA — Bartow County has announced it will turn over its 9-1-1 ambulance operations to a Cobb County company that provides the same service to neighboring jurisdictions. The county said it will enter into a contract with MetroAtlanta Ambulance Service to take over services currently provided by Bartow County Emergency Medical Services.

Metro has been the 9-1-1 Zone provider for Cobb County and the cities of Acworth, Kennesaw, Marietta and Smyrna since 2001, the county notes. Paulding County and the cities of Dallas and Hiram were added to the company's service district in 2013.

Metro has also operated multiple ambulances in the county for several years under contract with Cartersville Medical Center for transports, the county added.

“This is one of the most difficult decision I have had to make, but I believe it is in the best interests of the citizens," Bartow County Commissioner Steve Taylor said. "Metro can provide excellent service at a huge financial savings to the taxpayers.”

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Metro has agreed to take over operations with no subsidy from the county. The ambulance service operated at a loss of more than $2 million in fiscal year 2017, and is already in the red at $950,000 for the first five months of fiscal year 2018, the county said Monday.

Over the last 10 years, the service has lost $13.5 million due to expenses drastically exceeding billing revenue. That figure does not capture all costs born by the county for EMS services, such as SPLOST expenditures on ambulances and billing service costs. Metro can provide "excellent service, but they have the economies of scale to operate in a profitable fashion," the county adds.

Metro has also agreed to hire all full-time Bartow County employees at the same pay rate or at a level that's higher than their existing salary schedules. Bartow County will enter into a detailed contract governing performance standards, and Metro is in fact willing to guarantee a response time — from the time the call is received by 9-1-1 dispatch to the time the ambulance arrives at the scene — that is shorter than what the existing service provides.

MetroAtlanta notes it is a champion member of the Cartersville-Bartow Chamber of Commerce and a sponsor agency of the Good Neighbor Homeless Shelter in Cartersville. Through the Metro Atlanta Ambulance ‘Beyond the Lights and Siren’ program MetroAtlanta Ambulance employees’ volunteer time, treasure and talent to local nonprofit projects. The MetroAtlanta Ambulance Service Fund was developed to assist organizations in obtaining automatic defibrillators and CPR training.

Along with shorter response times, the county also said it will benefit from having access to new, state-of-the-art medical equipment, communications equipment and vehicles starting immediately. In addition to required equipment, all units will be equipped with the Physio Control LifePack 15 defibrillator/monitor capable of transmitting a 12-lead EKG, a Physio Control LUCAS CPR Compression System, a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure device (CPAP) and a King Vision portable laryngoscope.

Metro will be operating six, 24-hour trucks, just as EMS does now, from the same five county stations. Metro will also be operating at least three 12-hour trucks, which is more than Bartow EMS provides now. Metro also has typically about 32 to 36 ambulances in Cobb County and 10 to 12 in Paulding, which provide additional regional resources. Metro is headquartered in Cobb County where they have extensive administrative, training and maintenance facilities.

The five-year contract will have an option to terminate annually if the service provided is not satisfactory to county standards. While it does not anticipate using that option, the county said there are a "number of other companies who would be interested in serving" Bartow residents. The county notes the contract will be executed on July 11, and the transition could take three to four months.

“The county takes public safety as its highest priority, and we would do nothing to jeopardize that," he added. "We have spent a great deal of time considering options and proposals and believe this to be the best option to provide quality EMS service as well as savings to the taxpayer.”

Image via Bartow County EMS