City Council To Consider Contract To Outsource Ambulance/EMS Service At Monday’s Meeting
Monday’s meeting of the Cordell City Council may mark the end of the city’s ambulance service.The council will be considering a contract proposal from Pafford EMS to replace the city-operated ambulance service.
City Administrator J.C. Moser said the decision to possibly privatize the city’s ambulance service has been under consideration for a couple of months. The idea was raised a couple of months ago at a council meeting, but has not since been on a council meeting agenda for discussion or consideration.
Moser said the motivation behind the possible change is to help provide better service for the residents of Cordell, citing issues with the city’s service sometimes being understaffed and unable to transfer patients to other hospitals, especially when regulations require the presence of a certified paramedic instead of emergency medical technicians.
Members of the Cordell Fire and E M S departments were shocked to learn that a contract was pending council approval. Cordell Fire Chief Seth Slaughterback said he was unaware of this discussion being on the table until Monday, July 13.
“My issue is that none of this has been discussed with us at all,” he said. referring to the city fire and EMS departments. “Now all of a sudden they feel a dire need to outsource our department without talking to us about it.”
EMS Director Devin Humphrey urged caution with the decision.
“I think the council needs to slow down and look at all of the options,” he said. “This isn’t something that should just be pushed through a council meeting with no time to discuss or consider all of the issues.”
One of the issues is the cost of the service, both to the city and to the residents. Moser said he hasn’t yet seen the proposed contract and had no idea what it would potentially cost the city.
Currently, all Cordell utility customers pay a fee on their monthly bill for the ambulance service. With that fee, Cordell customers’ ambulance fees are capped at $600 if they are transported for care. If they are not transported, but treated on the scene, they cannot be billed.
Another financial question arose with regard to school activities. Cordell EMS attends high school football games at no cost to the city or the taxpayer, what would a private ambulance service charge to be present at sporting events? And who would be responsible for that cost?
Slaughterback urged Cordell residents to attend Monday’s city council meeting and ask the council members to slow down and make a deliberative decision in the best interests of the city’s residents.
Cordell Mayor Jerry Beech did not respond to a request for comment before press time.
The council meeting will be held at 6:00 p.m., Monday, July 20, in the Cordell Community Center adjacent to city hall. Masks will be required for anyone attending the meeting due to COVID-19 concerns. Moser said public comments on agenda items will be allowed at the beginning of the meeting.