South Platte ditches KCFD, goes for better coverage with cheaper AMR

The Southern Platte County Ambulance District will have a new service provider effective October 1, 2012. Americal Medical Response (ARM) will take over the coverage area currently be serviced by the Kansas City Fire Department at that time. AMR's contract was approved unanimously at Wednesday evening's meeting after being previously narrowed down as the final candidate at last week's board meeting where board President Bobby Kincaid was given approval to negotiate the contract. Wednesday was the first time AMR had been named publicly as the selected service provider.

Prior to the board going into closed session Wednesday night to review the contract with a representative of AMR, Kansas City Fire Chief Smokey Dyer addressed the board. In his statement he threatened to cut a mutual aid agreement with any selected contractor should the Southern Platte County Ambulance District decide to choose another provider. In the end, it did not deter the board and sets in motion the end to a relationship which has been on unsure ground since the district's previous provider, MAST, was merged with the Fire Department in 2010. Tensions have escalated over recent months as response times have continued to deteriate with KCFD response times with the recent report indicating ambulance calls only met contract standards 42% of the time. KCFD will be issued a 90-day cancellation as outlined under their current agreement.

Under the newly approved contract with AMR, SPCAD will pay an annual amount of $437,000 for ambulance services with a medical price index adjustment each year. The $437,000 contract price with AMR compares to the price of approximately $478,000 being paid currently to KCFD. Coverage under the new contract is also scheduled to increase as the district will have the 24 hour a day ambulance dedicated to the district it already has along with another ambulance which will be on-duty during the 12-hour period which has historically had the highest call volume.

"Having the ambulance dedicated to Platte County, and not other areas outside of Platte County, will mean they are just servicing the South Platte Ambulance District," AMR Operation and Communications Manager Cam Hendry said. "We didn't submit our proposal with only one ambulance, we felt it was important to have at least one and a half to meet the response time needs we were given."

Over the next 90 days, AMR will be responsible for making arrangements so the transition is smooth.

"I've asked for an operational plan to be added as an amendment to the contract, but it takes time for them to figure how many calls are placed in a year from a certain area to determine where to locate," Bobby Kincaid said. "As far as mutual aid agreements and other issues, this is AMR's contract so they will need to iron those issues out."

Hendry did not see a reason why Dyer and KCFD would not cooperate with the transition and hoped to work together in order to ensure everything is handled professionally as it has been in the past.

"We will need to work with both the KCFD and Platte County Sheriff's office to make sure the dispatch is transitioned well," Hendry said. "We expect to work with them as we have in the past to make sure the transition is smooth."