As the Villages Fire Department prepares to take over ambulance services in The Villages beginning Oct. 1, Sumter County commissioners approved three measures Tuesday night to aid the transition.
Commissioners endorsed a proposed rate schedule and approved an arrangement for handling emergency dispatching as well as fire and ambulance services in the Lake County portion of The Villages.
Last December, commissioners approved a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity that allows the Villages Fire Department to provide fire and ambulance services.
Tuesday’s resolution approved transport rates for the Villages Fire Department.
During the public forum portion of the meeting, Villager Gilbert Windsor questioned why Sumter County waited until 10 days before the ambulance transfer to endorse the rates.
County Administrator Bradley Arnold said county approval was not necessary for the Villages Fire Department to establish the rates.
Ambulance services will be transferred to Sumter County’s two fire departments after Advanced Medical Response (AMR), a national private provider, came under fire last year for long response delays.
Commissioners also approved a one-year agreement for county fire departments to provide services to portions of The Villages in Lake County.
Sumter County’s two fire departments and its emergency dispatch operation are expected to handle about 3,400 calls annually in Lake County and will be reimbursed $30.34 per call for annual revenue of about $103,000.
Â
