Salt Lake City: Gold Cross Out, Southwest In

The next time you hear a siren in Salt Lake City, don't be alarmed to see a shiny, new red and white ambulance in your rear-view mirror.

Midnight tonight, a new ambulance provider - Arizona-based Southwest Ambulance - takes over emergency response from Gold Cross in Utah's capital.

Following are answers to questions you might have about the new service:

Q: If you need an ambulance, whom do you call?

A: If it's an emergency, phone 911 as always. However, for nonemergency transportation - perhaps moving a patient from a hospital to a nursing home - you still can call Gold Cross, 801-972-1211. Southwest will not be available for nonemergency transportation.

Q: How many Southwest ambulances will serve the city?

A: Fourteen. "The same number as there are fire engines," says Salt Lake City Fire Department spokesman Scott Freitag. During peak hours, at least seven will be running.

Q: How will the handoff from Gold Cross Ambulance to Southwest occur?

A: At midnight Sunday, dispatch calls will switch to Southwest. "We've been installing and testing the radio systems for several weeks now," Freitag says. "The public shouldn't notice any change at all, except a different color of ambulance will show up."

Q: Why the new color?

A: Gold Cross ambulances are white with a green stripe, though some older ones have an orange stripe. Southwest units are red and white to match the fire engines.

Q: Will the new service cost more?

A: The average ambulance ride will be $345.20, down from the current $409.85.

"That's the base rate," Freitag adds. "There on add-on costs, for example, if they use oxygen or medication."

The cost usually is handled through insurance carriers.

Q: Does the lower price mean fewer services?

A: City officials say one reason they opted for a new provider is to decrease the cost. Costs vary depending on the skills required on scene. Since Gold Cross personnel have intermediate training, customers were paying for that level of certification. By comparison, Southwest employs emergency medical technicians who have basic training, lowering the transportation cost for customers. The Fire Department says customers who need it will continue to receive advanced care because firefighters - who should be first on the scene - have the highest level of training as paramedics.

Q: How quickly should the ambulances arrive?

A: The contract requires Southwest ambulances to arrive on scene within 7 minutes and 59 seconds of calls in life-threatening emergencies and 12 minutes and 59 seconds in other cases.

Q: Why the switch?

A: The Fire Department and Southwest will be integrated - both crews will be dispatched by the city, they will use the same radio communication system and the same medical director.

And ambulances will have electronic-tracking systems so the vehicle closest to the scene will be sent.

---

Tribune reporter Heather May contributed to this story.

News stories provided by third parties are not edited by "Site Publication" staff. For suggestions and comments, please click the Contact link at the bottom of this page.