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r <br /> 1 <br /> ORANGE COUNTY <br /> BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br /> Meeting Date: September 3, 2002 <br /> Action Agenda <br /> Item No. . S-f <br /> SUBJECT: Extension of EMS Transportation Contract with Orange EMS & Rescue Squad <br /> DEPARTMENT: Emergency Management PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br /> ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: <br /> Contract Extension Nick Waters or Kent McKenzie, ext 3030 <br /> TELEPHONE NUMBERS: <br /> Hillsborough 732-8181 <br /> Chapel Hill 968.4501 <br /> Durham 688-7331 <br /> Mebane 336-227-2031 <br /> PURPOSE: To consider renewing the present contract with Orange EMS & Rescue Squad, Inc. <br /> to provide transportation for EMS through December 31, 2002. <br /> BACKGROUND: The County first entered into a contract with South Orange Rescue Squad for <br /> provision of ambulance transportation service on September 25th, 1996. South Orange and <br /> Orange County Rescue Squads merged in 1999 to form the present Orange EMS and Rescue <br /> Squad, Inc. The contract has been renewed regularly since, including the current three-month <br /> contract which expires on September 30, 2002. <br /> The Squad provides personnel to drive the county ambulances used in the Transportation <br /> Component of EMS. This arrangement has been a part of the system design of Emergency <br /> Medical Services and allows the Squad to remain active while preventing or delaying the <br /> operational need to add permanent County staff to carry out the task. The Squad has been <br /> dealing with a declining number of volunteers, causing the hiring of full and part-time staff. The <br /> budget request from the Squad has increased over the past two years to more than $750,000 <br /> per year. <br /> The current three-month contract extension was intended to provide staff time to review the <br /> factors causing cost increases for the Squad and to evaluate possible alternatives for the <br /> provision of Emergency Medical transportation. Staff is developing a report identifying the <br /> potential options for provision of EMS transportation and the costs and benefits of each option. <br /> This three-month extension will provide the time necessary to weigh the options and plan for <br /> implementation of the chosen option by January 1, 2003. <br /> The Squad's Board of Directors has already approved the three-month extension under the <br /> same terms as the current extension. <br />