Logan County to solicit bids for ambulance service after sustained debate; public and EMS press for third ambulance

The Logan County Fiscal Court voted to advertise a request for proposals for its ambulance service and set a special called meeting on June 2 at 11:00 a.m. to receive and open bids after extended presentations from local EMS and multiple public comments urging added capacity.

John Holder, representing the county's current EMS provider, told the court the company has provided ALS service here since 2009 and has “consistently provided more coverage than we're contractually obligated to do.” He said the provider could staff additional ambulances if the court chose to pay for them, and stressed that response capability is constrained by available trucks: “There's not a service in this whole world who can make more than one run per truck.”

Court members developed four advertised solicitation scenarios to ensure bids are comparable: (1) the baseline two 24-hour ALS ambulances with paramedic staffing, (2) three 24-hour ALS ambulances, (3) two 24-hour ALS plus one 12-hour ALS ambulance, and (4) an open-ended vendor proposal allowing alternative models. The court agreed to publish the packet this week, hold a pre-bid site visit, and publicly stream the bid opening on June 2.

Members of the public and local first responders urged the court to prioritize a third ambulance, citing long runs to out-of-county hospitals and rising call volume. Resident Brian Thirstston said a third ambulance "is not a wish or a want. It's something this county has to have," and warned the court that accepting an unusually low bid could yield substandard service. First responders said the county has seen roughly a 30% increase in runs since 2009 and noted that many calls result in out-of-county transports that temporarily remove trucks from local coverage.

The court debated whether to open bids at a regular meeting to permit public comment or on a noncourt date to expedite evaluation. Ultimately, members voted to hold a special called meeting June 2 at 11:00 a.m. to receive and open bids; the session was unanimously approved by roll call. The court advertised four comparable baseline options to allow the board to weigh cost against coverage and to prepare a recommendation for a subsequent court meeting.

Next steps: the court will publish bid packets, hold the pre-bid site visit, accept proposals, open bids publicly on June 2, and return to a regular session to review recommendations and consider contract award or further direction.