Merced County approves new EMS provider

MERCED COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – The Merced County Board of Supervisors approved a new contract with AMR for ambulance services. 

Riggs Ambulance Service is currently the only EMS provider in the county. Members of the company spoke up in support of their employer during a board meeting on Tuesday.

“Our strength lies not just in what we do, but in how we do it with integrity, empathy, and genuine connection to the people that we serve. Because we are part of this community, not just employed here. In contrast, I’ve both witnessed and received troubling feedback from patients and community members regarding the services provided by AMR, and their concerns include unfamiliarity with local geography, often leading to delays and miscommunication, and misrouting,” one Riggs employee said.

“Make no mistake, Merced County is just a market AMR. Do you think their shareholders will tolerate a loss as a for-profit corporation?” asked another attendee.

But others at the board meeting expressed support for the shift in providers.

“I want to acknowledge and respect the 77 years of dedicated service that Riggs Ambulance has provided to Merced County. Our frustration has never been with the employees of Riggs. They’ve served this community with professionalism and heart. But with the absence of leadership when it mattered most,” said Chief Casey Wilson with the Merced Fire Department.

“I am in support of the AMR contract. We, since my arrival in Los Banos, have seen extreme delays, some issues with transport decisions that we had to make due to the lack of an ambulance,” said Chief Paul Tualla with the Los Banos City Fire Department. 

Merced County Public Health Director Kristynn Sullivan cited slow response times as part of the reason for issuing a Request For Proposals (RFP).

“The county went out to bid directly in response to census poor performance sustained for multiple years,” she said. 

Although they struggled with staffing during COVID-19, Riggs believes they solved the issue by awarding scholarships to local students and hiring them right after graduation. 

Merced County Supervisor Josh Pedrozo said Riggs had slow response times even before the pandemic.

“The argument of the compliance issue based on COVID really doesn’t make, is it doesn’t hold up. Because of their compliance issues happened before the pandemic happened, is what I’m saying,” he said.

Riggs protested the RFP process and argued that a member of the law firm leading the bidding used to work for AMR.

“By submitting a bid for this RFP, SEMSA agreed that any previous connections of Fitch and Associates was not a conflict of interest,” Sullivan said. “And the fact that they are resorting to claiming that now reflects on how weak their arguments are.”

Ultimately, supervisors denied the protest. The new contract with AMR is set to begin in January.