By Kimberly Gasuras
CCN Reporter
The Central Joint Ambulance District received bid proposals from two providers Thursday morning, for a new three-year contract for 911 emergency services.
According to Jason Long, president of the CJAD, the only two bids submitted were from the district’s current provider, Life Support Team, Inc., and Portsmouth Emergency Ambulance Service, Inc.
“Both companies are requesting a subsidy,” Long said.
While Portsmouth Emergency Ambulance Service’s bid came with a $673,800 subsidy, Life Support Team’s bid was much higher at a little more than $11 million for the three-year contract period.
Life Support Team currently provides the emergency ambulance service to the district with no subsidy at all.
The issue of if the city of Bucyrus would stay in the ambulance district recently was intensely debated with Bucyrus City Council ultimately voting to continue as part of CJAD instead of funding a city-based emergency ambulance service.
Long said the CJAD will meet July 2 at 5:30 p.m. in the lower-level conference room of the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office to discuss the bid proposals and how funding a new contract will be accomplished.