We will do what we committed to do, and we will be accountable for that performance,” said Falck s Chief Commercial Officer Troy Hagen, already on the offense in his address before the city council ahead of the vote. Ever since the city announced its intent to go with Falck,” said Hagen. “You, the council have been hit with a torrent of false allegations.
Public comment dragged on for more than two and half hours. Most speakers were AMR employees advocating against a switch. Changing providers will be unnecessarily disruptive to this community,” said one speaker.
Falck workers from other counties have also been critical. At a council committee hearing in February, several warned against switching to Falck, saying the company doesn t keep promises to unions, browned out units during the pandemic and abandons cities if it didn t turn a profit.
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The upgrades would include 65 new ambulances plus new gurneys, cardiac monitors and compression devices. The city also would regain control of some facilities now occupied by American Medical Response.
But perhaps more importantly, the contract would allow enforceable penalties for slow response times, which has previously been a problem in some San Diego communities south of state Route 94.
“The current contract does not have protections against extremely long response times, which represent significant delay in patient care and transport, with possible adverse outcomes,” Stowell said.
AMR said in response that it would also make all the upgrades cited by Chief Stowell because they are requirements demanded by the city last year when it solicited proposals to handle its ambulance service.
San Diego Union-Tribune
San Diego s fire chief is urging the City Council to switch ambulance providers in a much-anticipated vote next Tuesday, but two new evaluations clashed on whether the ambulance company s plan to boost service by 20 percent is financially viable.
Fire-Rescue Chief Colin Stowell says switching from current provider American Medical Response to Falck would bring long-needed technology and equipment upgrades, while allowing the city to impose stiff penalties for slow emergency response times.
Meanwhile, the city s independent budget analyst issued a report this week saying Falck s financial plan is feasible and that making the switch would not be financially risky for the city.
. More people have died in the field after a 9-1-1 call for ambulance and emergency services in recent months during the Coronavirus pandemic than in previous years, according to county emergency services officials.
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January this year saw the sharpest uptick: up to 516 people died in the field following a 9-1-1 call for service, a statistic that comes from a Feb. 3 daily report by the county’s Medical Health Operational Area Coordination (MHOAC).