Sale planned to alleviate ambulance worries in Rogers County

TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- A new owner for the Claremore ambulance service gave his terms to city councilors Friday while the fire chief said existing service has slipped.<br/><br/><b><a class="headlinelink"

Friday, July 8th 2005, 1:52 pm

By: News On 6

TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- A new owner for the Claremore ambulance service gave his terms to city councilors Friday while the fire chief said existing service has slipped.

Med-Tec informed the city in June that it planned to reduce ambulance service this month and eventually cease service for the largest city in the fastest-growing county in the state.

Med-Tec ambulance owner Mike Jarvis said emergency service would not be cut until the end of the month. However, Claremore Fire Chief Brad Clark said service in the city of 17,000 has slipped since June 7. Med-Tec eliminated a "day car" then, which has caused delays of up to 30 minutes in getting an ambulance to a call, Clark said.

Jarvis told councilors Friday that a tentative agreement has been reached to sell the unprofitable commercial ambulance company. James Patford, who has agreed to buy the company, said the service needed a $9,000 monthly subsidy, a one-year contract, exclusive rights to handle emergency and transfer calls within the city, free dispatching services and support in selling ambulance memberships to residents in the city and surrounding areas.

"If you say no, you look bad," Patford told the three city councilors serving on the finance committee. "If you say no, that would not set good with the public."

Claremore city councilors have said they hoped to resolve the fate of the ambulance service at a special meeting Monday.

The operations director of Oologah-Talala Emergency Medical Service, which is responsible for serving the area if Med-Tec ceased service without a replacement, was meeting with Clark Friday to determine how to reduce any ambulance delays during a transition period.

The Oologah service announced one week ago that it would be able to add equipment and staff to temporarily serve Claremore if needed. The Oologah service currently covers a 189-square-mile area of Rogers County.

Oologah service Operations Director Andy Hudson and Bob Anderson, director of Rogers County Emergency Management, have each said service to city and county residents would not erode if there was a change in ambulance providers.

Jarvis said he will keep his Broken Arrow-based Integrity transfer ambulance service, and will be available to pick up transfers that Patford cannot handle. However, Hudson said the Oologah service would object to any effort by Patford or Claremore to enforce an exclusive transfer policy.

Hudson said he believes the city has no authority over the Oologah service's transfer contract with the Claremore Indian Hospital, a federal facility where the city lacks jurisdiction.

City attorney Michelle Schultz said Claremore might be able to block other ambulances from using city streets to get to the hospital, but was highly unlikely to get involved in such a situation.