Proposal to study privatizing EMS, fire fails

A proposal to look into privatizing local ambulance and rural fire protection services died Tuesday night in Bedford County Financial Management Committee due to lack of a second.

Commissioner J.D. "Bo" Wilson had invited representatives of Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Rural/Metro Corp. to appear before the committee.

"Yes, we could save you money," claimed Brian Howard, director of the firm's Loudon County operations. He was joined by Rural/Metro representatives from rural Knox County and from Franklin County.

Rural/Metro, which according to its web site operates in 400 communities in 22 different states, would contract with the county to provide ambulance and fire services, presumably replacing the county-owned ambulance service, Bedford County Emergency Medical Services, and the county-supported non-profit group, Volunteer Fire Services Inc., which provides rural fire protection.

Howard said the company has economies of scale which allow it to operate efficiently. He said the county could word its request for proposals to insist on a particular standard of care which bidders like Rural/Metro would have to meet, and said his department in Loudon County is rated as a Class A ambulance service by the state and has an average eight-minute response time.

Howard said Rural/Metro took over ambulance services in Loudon County in 2003. The firm leases its ambulance hall from the county for a token $1 per year, and leased the vehicles owned by the county at the time of the takeover. The company is responsible for buying any new vehicles going forward, and has increased its fleet since 2003, while still keeping the old vehicles in service.

Rural/Metro offered to provide a draft request for proposals which the county could customize to meet its own needs before seeking bids.

Wilson made a motion to send out a request for proposals for privatizing ambulance and fire services. Committee chairman Joe Tillett asked if that proposal needed the approval of the full county commission. County Attorney John T. Bobo said the full commission doesn't legally have to be consulted if all the committee is doing is asking for bids. But he said that consulting the full commission might be a prudent idea, even if not strictly required. The full commission would have to approve any final contract.

Wilson's motion died for lack of a second.