Marion will have new ambulance service Council awards contract to United

MARION - A new company, United Medical Response, will take over Marion's ambulance contract, winning out at Monday night's City Council meeting in a bidding war with the current contract holder, Abbott EMS.

With the ambulance contract expiring on Jan. 9, the Marion City Council was under pressure to choose between the two lowest-bidding companies.

Presenting the item, Mayor's Chief-of-Staff Cody Moake said the bids ranged widely, from zero to $1.3 million.

The two low bidders were Abbott EMS and United Medical Response, whose officers and staff packed City Council chambers. They presented bids in what became a public back-and-forth negotiation between the them and the council.

Salem-based United Medical Response, which started up in October 2018, bid zero, versus Abbott EMS, a St. Louis-based firm that wanted $300,000 per year.

Abbott, which has services across the U.S., took over the Marion ambulance contract in March, following a buyout of the previous provider, Lifeline.

The city puts a cap on what ambulance services can charge, $800 for basic lifesaving services (BLS) and $1,000 for advanced lifesaving services (ALS).

United wanted the cap doubled to $1,600 for BLS and $2,000 for ALS for their zero-dollar contract to the city.

During the meeting, Abbott countered with an offer of $60,000 a year, down from $300,000 if the rates were doubled, and zero if the cap were dropped entirely.

Officials from both companies, Brian Gerth, operations manager of Abbott EMS in Marion, and Jared Hunter, chief financial officer for United Medical Response, took the floor to tout the advantages of their companies.

United has already set up a base in Marion, and is a contracted ambulance service in Herrin, Hunter said. It was founded in Salem, where it holds that city's 911 contract, and also serves Centralia. He said United would be adding ambulances, and it could draw on the resources of bases in those cities, as well as mutual-aid agreements with West Frankfort, Lake of Egypt and Goreville fire departments.

Gerth said Abbott could draw on a wider field of ambulances, calling in units from Effingham and the Metro-East, as well as closer by, in Franklin County.

As far as employment, Gerth noted that many of Abbott's employees are lifelong Marion residents, while United's Hunter said if his company won the contract, it would likely look to hire those same trained emergency responders.

Moake told the council that both companies had the same average response time, around 6 minutes, under the national average of 8 minutes.

Also, both companies have agreed to direct dispatching, a requirement of both the Marion police and fire departments, Moake said.

The mayor's chief-of-staff noted that Abbott's response times improved in September after the city recommended they switched to allowing MPD and Williamson County 911 dispatchers to deal with the ambulances directly, rather than through the Abbott dispatch center in St. Louis.

Additionally, Moake said, there is a 120-day out clause in the contracts.

Public Health and Safety Commissioner John M. Barwick Jr. said he favored keeping the cap, even if it were doubled to $1,600 for BLS and $2,000 to ALS, in the interest of the taxpayers. And United's bid of zero made the most sense against Abbott's $60,000.

Abbott's Gerth asked the council to delay the vote, so he could get back to his company's officers. "I don't think you guys have all the facts, apples to apples."

Mayor Mike Absher said that wouldn't be fair, "What are you going to come back with? You are only changing your bid because their bid was zero."

Barwick moved to accept the contract from United, with Commissioner Jim Webb seconding.

Commissioner John Stoecklin said he saw advantages and disadvantages with both companies, with United a local startup, with easily accessible senior officers, and Abbott with the resources of national corporation.

Commissioner Doug Patton said both companies had the opportunity to present their cases. "I feel we need to stop the process tonight, in all fairness to the low bidder. I'm good with the motion."

The vote was 5-0 in favor of United Emergency Response