toledoblade.com --

Toledo City Council voted yesterday to set up its fire department in the ambulance business, in hopes of generating at least $1.2 million a year in extra cash for the city's general operating fund.

The ordinance would allow the administration to lease six ambulances to be posted at five stations around the city.

The ambulances would be staffed with the city's existing fire department personnel, now set at a minimum of 103 people per shift.

Private ambulance operators yesterday said they were disappointed at the city's incursion into an area they said belongs to private enterprise.

"Obviously, it's a bad day for business," said Richard Bage, president of the largest private local ambulance company, MedCorp Inc. He raised the prospect of moving some of his more than 300 employees out of Toledo.

Donald Kish, president of Rumpf Ambulance, said he likely would be forced out of business after 16 years in Toledo.

"The areas where they're locating are primarily where my business is," Mr. Kish said. "It's going to take everything I have."

the blade/eric sumberg MedCorp President Richard Bage, left, looks at Vice President Tony Anteau, after the Toledo City Council vote. the blade/eric sumberg Rumpf Ambulance owner Donald Kish, being hugged by MedCorp EMT Paula Craig, says the city ambulance service likely will force him out of business after 16 years in Toledo.
( THE BLADE/ERIC SUMBERG )

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He said Rumpf has six ambulances and that 67 percent of his business is in 911 calls.

But councilmen supporting the move said they saw it as improving care because the firefighters who already are dispatched first to accident scenes would be the ones to transport to the hospital. All are either emergency medical technicians or paramedics.

Councilman Joe McNamara said "continuity of care" was the reason he voted for the legislation. The money was not an issue, he said.

"It will provide better service to the citizens," Mr. McNamara said.

Councilman Frank Szollosi said the care issue was the deciding factor for him, but the additional revenue also was a factor.

"If my grandparents were in an accident, would I want that continuum of care? That, to me, tipped the scales," he said.

The ambulances would be located at Station 6, 542 Starr Ave.; Station 11, 4820 Airport Hwy.; Station 18, 5221 Lewis Ave.; Station 23, 2743 West Laskey Rd., and either Station 7, 2155 Franklin Ave., or Station 16, 1301 Dorr St., Fire Chief Michael Bell said.

City firefighters who are paramedics already handle advanced life support runs.

The administration has said it would take about 40 percent of the emergency ambulance runs.

The proposal emerged last year in contract negotiations between Firefighters Local 92 and Chief Bell. They agreed the department could staff the five basic life support ambulances with current firefighters.

Councilman George Sarantou said he voted against the ambulance service because the present private enterprise ambulance service works.

"It sends the wrong message to the business community," Mr. Sarantou said.

He also said he was denied a copy of the draft of a manning study the administration ordered and partially paid for but has not released.

The administration has refused to release the draft report that was ordered by the previous administration to get an objective analysis of the 103-person minimum staffing level.

If the ambulance business starts on July 1 as planned, it is expected to generate at least $600,000 in the current year, helping to lower an $11.9 million deficit in the general fund.

Toledo's lease agreement with Burgess Ambulance Sales Inc. of Loudonville, Ohio, would be for five years with the ability to buy the rigs for $1 at the end of the lease.

According to the ordinance, the annual lease cost would be less than $200,000.

Also voting in support were Councilmen Wilma Brown, Phil Copeland, Mike Craig, Mark Sobczak, and Michael Ashford.

Also casting no votes were council President Rob Ludeman and Councilmen Joe Birmingham, Ellen Grachek, and Betty Shultz.

Contact Tom Troy at:
tomtroy@theblade.com
or 419-724-6058.

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