Sumter County extends AMR ambulance contract as backup plan as deadline nears

Sumter County’s two fire departments face challenges meeting an Oct. 1, 2022, deadline to take over ambulance services.

That means the days of American Medical Response (AMR) providing private ambulance service in the county may not be over.

County commissioners Tuesday night approved extending the AMR contract to the end of next year as a back-up plan if the fire departments fail to meet the deadline.

In September, commissioners approved transferring ambulance services to the Sumter County and Villages fire departments. That decision followed a recommendation of a study committee appointed after AMR came under fire last spring for poor response times.

Commissioner Oren Miller said a lot of questions remain about how the county and The Villages departments will meet the deadline.

Those questions include how many ambulances, paramedics and emergency medical technicians will be needed to staff both departments.

Miller said it’s not clear that significant progress is being made to effect the transfer and that the county is not providing enough information to The Villages.

Jeffrey Bogue, who served on the ambulance study committee, said Miller’s fears are well-founded.

“The concern you have about obtaining ambulances is genuine and real,” he said.

Bogue, of Bushnell, director of EMS/Critical Care Transport at Advent Health/Wesley Chapel, said he recently ordered ambulances that will be delivered in 13 months.

He suggested the county and The Villages create an emergency management planning council to coordinate the transfer. Similar councils have been used in other counties.

County Administrator Bradley Arnold said the AMR contract extension is a “safety net” in case The Villages fails to meet the deadline.

Arnold said Villages officials are confident that the back-up plan won’t be needed.

Gail Lazenby, a retired Villages fire captain who also served on the ambulance study committee, said much work has been going on behind the scenes and he believes The Villages will meet the deadline.

He said Villages Fire Chief Edmund Cain will have no problem getting ambulances because he has 40 years of experience with fire and EMS services and contacts across the country.

During the public forum portion of the meeting, Villager Kenneth Knodel said residents won’t stand for extended ambulance services from AMR.

“The clock is ticking very, very fast,” he said. “No one wants to deal with the possibility of AMR going forward in this county.”

The situation may be different for the Sumter County Fire Department, which provides service outside The Villages.

“It seems to me that the county has not done their preparation,” Lazenby said.

Arnold said some county fire department employees don’t want to work on ambulances and union contracts may complicate the transfer.

The county administrator said he will present commissioners with several options if the deadline cannot be met.

Besides the AMR contract extension, commissioners also approved several other measures related to ambulance services.

They included a $17.6-million grant from the county to The Villages to provide fire and EMS services from Oct. 1, 2022, through Sept. 30, 2023, a mutual aid agreement between the two departments and a certificate of convenience and necessity that allows The Villages to operate fire and ambulance services in the county.

The Villages is pursing creation of an independent fire and EMS district with its own taxing authority, but it requires legislative approval and a referendum.