By Bob Strohm
bstrohm@wbcowqel.com
The Central Joint Ambulance District voted unanimously Monday to put the ambulance service contract back up for bid. Board members agreed that the current service provider, Life Support, is in breach of contract in lieu of not having the stipulated performance bond.
Board members agreed to put the ambulance contract up for bid again after Life Support went 60 days past the contractual 90-day time limit to obtain a performance bond. During the discussion of what do over the breach of contract, board members of the CJAD mentioned that the issue wasn’t with the performance Life Support staff, but with the administration of Life Support.
Board President Dale Sipe explained why the board voted for putting the ambulance service contract up for bid as opposed to allowing Life Support continue without a performance bond.
“What happened was Life Support was doing their job, but their upper management decided they wanted to pull out of the contract because they weren’t able to get their performance bond plus a few other issues.”
The apparent issue preventing Life Support from getting a performance bond is linked to a civil suit filed against the company’s owners in Richland County over a no-compete clause. Despite rumors saying the contrary the county will not be without an ambulance service. Life Support will stay on until a new ambulance service takes over.
Life Support COO Jesse Sipes explained that they would still be working with the county.
“We are going to keep continuing to do all the 911’s and covering the community and citizens of Crawford County the way we’ve been doing,” Sipes said. “Even if we lose the contract and the bid, we will still be in Crawford County.”
Life Support provides non-emergency transport out of the hospital for the city of Galion while Galion Fire Department provides 911 service in the city and Polk Township.
While Life Support will continue to provide ambulance service for the time being, the CJAD does have a plan in place if the county were to be temporarily without an ambulance service provider.
Sipe explained options that the CJAD would have if the county were to be temporarily left without an ambulance service.
“We actually have several options. We have the option to man our own ambulance with a staff and pay for it, we have the options to call in other carriers which could be a local carrier outside the county, that would be willing to come in at a fee, and as far as that we could take ask for the BLS units to be the response until we get an ambulance service, but that would be short term it wouldn’t be for the long term,” Sipe said.
Sipe explained that Life Support would still have the option to bid on the new contract.
County Prosecutor Matt Crall explained to the bid process for the contract will take a total of six to eight weeks.
“The notice for the contract being up for bid needs to be published three to four times, and can’t be published all at once, so it will be published once per week,” Crall explained.
Provisions of the ambulance service contract will be determined by the board at a special meeting at 7 p.m. next Monday at the Sheriff’s Office.