PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. — Private ambulance company American Medical Response (AMR) announced it will lay off 130 employees in Pierce County at the end of the month, potentially impacting emergency service in some areas.
According to West Pierce Fire & Rescue spokesperson Jenny Weekes, private companies like AMR contract with hospitals, calling ambulances as needed to transport patients to other facilities. Without those services, hospitals would have to rely on the 911 system for transportation.
"These non-emergent calls have the potential to impact the 911 system because the fire engines and medic units that respond to them are then unavailable to respond to other calls without our jurisdiction, which could possibly be a light-threatening call," Weekes told KING 5. "The concern for an increase in those non-emergent calls is the potential burden on the 911 system and we want to make sure resources are available when they are needed most.”
"I'm trying to understand why AMR is pulling out of the area," said Scott Adams, Assistant Chief of West Pierce Fire & Rescue.
Fire crews tell KING 5 they are concerned with how this will affect Pierce County residents in their jurisdictions-- particularly when they need help fast.
"Transport times to get to someone's house might potentially be longer," said Adams.
Adams said if hospital staff call 911 for their medical transport needs, it will add more work for firefighters.
"It could be somewhere maybe around 50-100 more calls per month. And if we're already doing anywhere from 1,000 to 1,200 calls per month, and you add an extra 10%, that's a lot," Adams said.
He also anticipates that the 911 dispatch center will see more calls, and hopes they will be prepared for that.
"More calls coming in through 911," said Adams. "So there's the potential for people who are trying to get through, that do have emergency type calls... they can't go through as quickly as maybe as they used to."
It is a different story, however, at Tacoma Fire, which accounts for the more populous area of Pierce County. A spokesperson told KING 5 that he does not anticipate a big impact to the community members there, as they have been preparing for changes.
According to AMR, reduced demand for emergency transportation, inflation and "low government reimbursement" were factors in the downsizing. No other AMR operations in Washington state will be impacted, according to the company.
AMR said it is assisting employees in transferring to other open positions.
There are currently four private, for-profit licensed emergency medical services that operate in Pierce County: Coastal Transport, LLC, Olympic Ambulance Service, Northwest Ambulance, and American Medical Response.