City Council votes against ambulance service run by CSFD

(COLORADO SPRINGS) — On Tuesday, June 11, the City Council concluded voting on the motion for the Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD) to take over medical transport from American Medical Response (AMR), a private company currently responsible for emergency medical services in the city. The motion failed, with four council members for the motion and five against.

During the meeting, several community leaders spoke in favor of the proposal, including Mayor Yemi Mobolade and CSFD Chief Randy Royal, as well as representatives from the Colorado Springs Police Protective Association, the Fire Foundation of Colorado Springs, emergency physicians, and more.

Those arguing for the change emphasized their belief that it would reduce response times for emergency calls and increase quality care for the community.

Curt Crumb, President of Local 5 Colorado Springs Professional Firefighters Union, pointed out that if there was one entity to handle all aspects of transportation, run by firefighters with decades of experience, it would lessen response times and allow proper resources for calls.

Royal said this has been the most scrutinized project he has ever worked on.

Before the vote, city council members expressed concerns about the proposal’s financial viability. A recent auditor’s report reviewed the data and indicated that, due to the complexity of the revenue, there was a risk that funding would not support the program. In contrast, AMR covers the cost of its own funding.

After the proposal was voted down, CSFD Chief Royal posted a statement, saying, “I am incredibly disappointed to say the Colorado Springs City Council voted against the proposal for an Ambulance Transport Enterprise. This proposal would have been a historic step for our community and would have been the best possible outcome for our community.”

He further expressed that he would not give up the fight to bring the responsibility of ambulance transport in-house.

Mayor Mobolade also posted about the decision, saying that he was disappointed by the City Council’s choice to vote down the proposal.

“I still believe this was the right time to implement this new model that would have improved ambulance response times, lowered costs to users and allowed for more innovative programs,” said Mobolade. “And I still believe in the excellence of our fire department.”

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