) - The city’s two private ambulance companies have improved their response rates in recent months but not consistently enough for public safety officials to feel confident in recommending whether to allow a third company into the market., by Medevac Alabama, has been pending for months. The Mobile City Council delayed consideration in September, and this week, the council accepted the administration’s recommendation to put it off for another 90 days.
The currently licensed ambulance companies are homegrown Newman’s Ambulance Service and Lifeguard Ambulance Service, owned by national conglomerate American Medical Response. The city relies on both to assist the Fire-Rescue Department with lower-priority emergency calls, such as twisted ankles or broken bones. That ensures Fire-Rescue ambulances are available for the most serious calls, such as heart attack and gunshot victims.
Lami told council members that part of the improvement is due to a change in how the city directs those calls. Previously, the companies alternated days. Now, the chief said, they rotate each call. “Like I said, it would drain either us or the other company of employees, if they could hire them away from us,” he said.
Medevac Alabama currently operates in Clarke and Mobile counties. Hughes argued the city should allow his company to expand into Mobile despite the established companies’ recent improvement.