ORANGE : Fire Department Ambulance Service Plan Raises Howl

A Fire Department plan to provide ambulance service has raised an outcry from two private companies over the right to transport the city’s injured and ill to local hospitals.

In a room packed with fire officials as well as representatives of the city’s two ambulance service providers--Medix Ambulance Service and CareLine California--the City Council Tuesday listened to arguments to keep the system the way it is.

Fire Chief David L. Rudat earlier this month proposed buying four ambulances and taking over services from the companies.

He argued that, because the department already provides all first-response paramedic care, adding ambulance service would reduce response time by 42% with minimal effect on the department’s $12-million budget.

Both private companies, however, said Rudat’s proposal was deceptive and would require more Fire Department personnel.

“Please keep in mind that [Rudat’s] proposal, if adopted, would put me out of business,” said Michael J. Dimas, president of Medix. He urged council members to keep the current system, under which one company serves the east side of the city and one the west.

But CareLine California, in its presentation, offered the city a guaranteed $200,000 a year in “first-responder fees” in exchange for an exclusive contract.

That offer would be contingent on receiving paramedic certification from the Orange County Health Care Agency, said Blake MacPherson, CareLine’s director of government affairs. The county does not allow paramedics on private ambulances at this time, he said, but CareLine is working to have that law changed.

Dimas countered that Medix also could provide exclusive service.

CareLine’s proposal also drew protests from several fire departments represented at the meeting. Jeffrey Bowman, chief of Anaheim’s Fire Department, said that CareLine officials have been “changing their position on paramedics from city to city.”

Orange council members said they will not make a decision until seeing written statements from the city’s own Fire Department, the two companies and others who want to respond.