Oklahoma Cities` Decision on EMSA Extended 90 Days

Oct. 13--Leaders from Oklahoma City and Tulsa said Thursday they want 90 more days to decide whether to continue using EMSA for ambulance service or shift the responsibility to their fire departments.

Both cities pay millions of dollars in subsidies to the Emergency Medical Services Authority and have been studying whether it would be cheaper to put ambulance service under their fire departments.

Oklahoma City expects to pay $28 million in EMSA subsidies over the next five years under the current agreement.

The state's two largest cities have a trust agreement for EMSA service, which must be renewed every five years. The terms of the agreement require the cities to notify one another by the end of October if they want to end the partnership.

Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor said at a news conference Thursday she is seeking a 90-day extension of the agreement to give city council members more time to review a fire department proposal submitted Wednesday.

Tulsa Deputy Fire Chief David Dayringer said letting the fire department take over ambulance service will save taxpayers about $12 million from 2008 to 2012.

During that period, the city could hire 137 paramedics to offset any staff shortages, Dayringer said. Tulsa is paying a $1.8 million EMSA subsidy this year. Dayringer said the subsidy is expected to increase to $3.7 million by 2012.

EMSA President Stephen Williamson said his staff disagrees with the Tulsa Fire Department's report.

"I understand from the finance staff here that some of the numbers they placed for EMSA are incorrect," Williamson said. "We are going to update those and see how the proposal looks."

Oklahoma City and Tulsa own the EMSA ambulances used in their cities but would need to hire more employees to run them. An Oklahoma City staff report showed it would cost at least $2 million more over five years for the city's fire department to take over ambulance service.

Tulsa Councilman Rick Westcott said a takeover by his city's fire department could increase costs because firefighters make about three times as much as emergency medical technicians. Any new hires would have to be trained firefighters.

He said firefighters would have to spend more time taking patients to hospitals, which could take away from their firefighting duties. He also wondered why the fire department waited until the current contract has almost expired to make a proposal.

"I just have a whole lot of questions and no one has made any kind of presentation to the city council yet," Westcott said. "It would have to be an extremely good proposal."

Westcott suggested an extension hours before Taylor officially requested it.

Roscoe Turner, vice-chairman of the Tulsa council, said he's always thought medical services should be under the fire department. He said every year the city will have to pay more to subsidize EMSA.

Oklahoma City council members said they welcome more time to make a decision. The Oklahoma City Council was scheduled to vote on the issue Oct. 24. Ward 6 Councilwoman Ann Simank said she wasn't comfortable voting that soon.

"It will give both sides more time to help us get a clear picture," Simank said. "Why should we all rush to vote on something? Let's get all the answers we can, educate ourselves and see what works best for our citizens."

Oklahoma City Manager Jim Couch said city attorneys are working on a way to grant the extension.

"It's a bit of a complex process," Couch said. "If Tulsa needs more time, we are happy to cooperate. We don't want them to be pushed into a bad situation."

Contributing: Larry Levy, state correspondent

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