MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — The sound of a siren brings urgency to mind.
Henry Chapman who works next door to Baldwin EMS says there's urgent care for urgent needs.
“They constantly come in and out like they do right here,” he explained. “At least once every hour."
With Grady EMS not renewing their contract to provide the county ambulance services, Baldwin County commissioners met to weigh their options.
“They'll have to figure it out because we have to have an ambulance service,” said Chapman.
Grady EMS has given Baldwin Commissioners 90 days to figure out how they'll be replacing their ambulance services.
“I'd like to call this meeting on the Baldwin County Commissioners to order,” Commission Chairman Emily Davis said.
Commissioners say they know this is an urgent matter.
“We have a short period of time that we gotta have somebody in place, you know, so that the public will be satisfied with what we're doing,” Commissioner Kendrick Butts said. “Definitely gotta show them that we're gonna protect them at all costs."
Baldwin County Manager Carlos Tobar says there are two options to consider.
“One is to decide to take it in-house. Two is a request that staff prepare a formal solicitation to request ambulance services to submit proposals,” he said.
Commissioners say they want to weigh both options.
“Give us a proposal,” Commissioner Sammy Hill said. “When we get those, then you sit down and we can compare that to whether or not we want to do it ourselves."
Their previous contract with Grady EMS was a three-year contract for $195,000 a year. He says they want something similar this time too.
“I think we need to go out there with a three-year proposal with a one-year contract-- with a one-year break in each contract-- that gives us time to make sure that we have everything right,” Commissioner John Westmoreland said.
Tobar says the news from Grady EMS was unexpected.
“We were so happy with Grady EMS and the services they were providing,” Tobar said. “We have 26 capital projects going on, so the timing is not ideal. I don’t like surprises, but we will deal with it.”
Tobar said they’d submit the formal request for third-party services by Monday, with a Sept. 1 deadline for applying.
Tobar says Grady EMS may not be renewing contacts to focus on their own EMS services in Atlanta.
He says they've already received two requests from third-party ambulance services. One from Ameripro Health and one from Atrium Health Navicent.
We asked Atrium Health Navicent why they wanted to submit a proposal. Here is their response:
“The Baldwin County Commission voted today to open the process and prepare a Request For Proposal for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) due to Grady’s planned departure. We understand the RFP will be released in the next few days. Once released, we will review the requirements and expectations and consider submitting a proposal. Baldwin County is a vital area for Atrium Health Navicent and we care deeply about the health care needs of its citizens, which includes the ability to have affordable, compassionate and professional EMS when needed.”