Fire crews have new duty

WEST VALLEY CITY — For several decades, when West Valley residents had an emergency that required an ambulance, their calls were answered by Gold Cross.

But as of Sept. 26, the ambulances are now driven by city firefighters.

The city has begun its own ambulance service after decades of contracting with Gold Cross. The fire department's new ambulance contract required it to buy two new Pierce Lance C13 transport engines and four new Frazer ambulances and hire 16 new firefighter/paramedics. Fire Chief John Evans said the ambulances cost about $90,000 each and the transport vehicles about $390,000 each.

Evans said the number of vehicles and personnel will be an increase from those dedicated to West Valley when Gold Cross provided ambulance service.

"The highest level of care possible is what West Valley City will be providing to patients," he said.

The fire department expects to operate its ambulance service at a profit to the city, as transport fees — usually collected from insurance companies — will go back into the city's coffers rather than into Gold Cross's budget.

The new contract with the fire department comes after the city put out a request for bids in March 2004 under a new law allowing cities to do so. The city received two bids — one from Gold Cross, the other from the fire department.

"A number of years ago we were starting to have some issues of dissatisfaction with how they (Gold Cross) were handling the ambulance service," city manager Wayne Pyle told the Deseret Morning News in June. Years of negotiations failed to "really come to fruition," so when the new state law went into effect at the beginning of 2004 allowing cities to put out a bid request, West Valley did.

Pyle said the city's review committee, consisting of two City Council members and an assistant city manager, looked at both bids and chose its own fire department based on what it could offer. It made its recommendation to the City Council, which unanimously agreed.

Gold Cross sued, charging the city did not select the "lowest responsive and responsible bidder," which is required by state law.

Gold Cross's bid said it could offer service at no cost to the city and without future subsidy from the city. The fire department's bid included a table showing projected profits but "did not provide any other information regarding costs or assurances that the city would not be required to subsidize the service," according to the lawsuit.