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Dispatching Private EMS

By Ryan Furlong posted 04-24-2012 19:45

  
Our agency dispatch for 13 fire and EMS Agencies.  Our community also has a private for profit EMS company. The EMS agencies set-up there own pre-plans and have chosen to include the private company in their pre-plans.  Our agency also several years ago agreed to answer the private EMS non-business hours and weekends for a small fee. 
We have received a few 911 calls requesting the private agency instead of the local EMS department.  I am interested to see if anyone has dealt with this type of situation and if so how they resolved the issue.  Currently we dispatch the local agency and contact the private company. 

I would also be interested in any agreements you may have with dispatching private companies and or the price your charging them.

Thanks for any help. 
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Suzette Bellevue
07-26-2012 18:51

The policy here is to dispatch the local ambulance provider, whether that is the Town's ambulance or a private company contracted with that specific area, regardless of which ambulance the callers ask for. If the caller denies transport at the scene & still insists on transport by a different private ambulance, they must arrange that transportation on their own.

Jonathan Goldman
05-10-2012 09:29

Ryan, I would say you should dispatch whichever agency has EMS jurisdiction for the community the person is in. If a private ambulance in NH took a 911 call, and responded into a community they don't provide primary 911 response services for they would be in trouble. I would always give the call to the agency having jurisdiction.

Jonathan Goldman
05-10-2012 09:29

Ryan, I would say you should dispatch whichever agency has EMS jurisdiction for the community the person is in. If a private ambulance in NH took a 911 call, and responded into a community they don't provide primary 911 response services for they would be in trouble. I would always give the call to the agency having jurisdiction.