Colorado Springs Fire to make recommendations to city leaders to take over ambulance services
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO)- Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSPD) officials say they are preparing to make their case to the city on Monday, about taking over the EMS services from the usual AMR vehicles that you have see driving around for decades.
CSFD says their Fire Chief and administrators spent the day Friday in meetings, working on their presentation to the city, to make their case to the Colorado Springs City Council about not renewing their contract with American Medical Response (AMR) services, which ends in April 2025, and instead adopting a "Ground Ambulance Service Enterprise" within the city.
The move would terminate a 40 year partnership between AMR and the City. CSFD previously told KRDO13 in a statement that would only recommend the change, to ensure reduced costs, and improved services, for residents.
It comes in light of KRDO13 Investigates finding that AMR had to pay more than $3.4 million in damages in 2022, for arriving late to Code 3 calls throughout the year.
Per the proposal, the "Ground Ambulance Service Enterprise" would operate and provide emergency medical services in the City of Colorado Springs and Pikes Peak Region, essentially the same way any outside agency like AMR would.
Just over Colorado Springs city limits, in Manitou Springs, their fire department switched to in-house EMS operations from AMR, in February of 2023.
The department says that the benefits of that decision, have become noticeable over the last year.
"Before [the switch] the average was anywhere from 12 to 10 minutes response time from other agencies to come over here. Now we're at... 5 minutes. So 50% reduction in response times." explained Lieutenant Michael Willie with Manitou Springs Fire Department.
Willie continued to say they did have to purchase the two ambulances they now have in their fleet, and could not immediately provide the cost of those ambulances. Willie also added that they still have a partnership with AMR, incase they ever need extra help.
AMR sent KRDO13 this statement Friday afternoon, in regards to questions about how the proposed plan would potentially involve AMR employees and their equipment.
"It would be inappropriate for us to speculate on what the Colorado Springs Fire Department proposal may or may not include. We refer all questions regarding Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD)’s proposal to CSFD. AMR and our predecessor company have been entrusted to provide service to the citizens of Colorado Springs for over 40 years, and our main priority is to continue to provide the highest level of emergency medical services available. In fact, AMR has recently submitted a letter offering to extend our current contract with the city."
AMR Spokesperson
You can read the proposal, here. Colorado Springs Fire Department Chief Randy Royal will be amongst those speaking before the City Council, to argue their case for making the historic change to medical services in the city.
