C.S.F.D officials are meeting with the city council today to propose changes to first responders

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Fire officials are expected to go before the Colorado Springs City Council today, May 13, with a proposal to take over transportation services. C.S.F.D is set to make a major pitch here today that could lead to the city dropping 'American Medical Response' as its main ambulance service.

They're laying out their vision for a new "Ground Ambulance Service Enterprise" which would involve a new fleet of ambulances staffed and operated under the umbrella of the Colorado Springs Fire Department. As the fire department goes before the Colorado Springs City Council they are backed by the support of Mayor Yemi Yobolade.

Fire Chief Randy Royal released a statement regarding the proposed change on the C.S.F.D's X account saying, "Our goal is to improve service delivery and response times, enhance innovative services already in place in our department, and reduce costs to citizens. An Emergency Services Enterprise would be funded entirely by users, creating full separation from the General Fund."

They're expected to ask the city not to renew their contract with American Medical Response or A.M.R. which expires in April of next year. This proposal comes in light of krdo13 investigates discovering that A.M.R. had to pay more than 3.4 million in damages in 2022 for arriving late to code 3 calls throughout the year.

The City of Manitou Springs has already made a similar switch telling krdo13 that the transition improved their response times by 50 percent. A.M.R. says they've already made an offer to extend their contract with the city but ultimately the Colorado Springs City Council will decide which option to go with.