Wisconsin City Looks at Taking Over Ambulance Service

Jan. 28--The city of La Crosse is considering going into the emergency ambulance business.

Mayor Mark Johnsrud wants to revive a proposal, first raised in 2002, to have the La Crosse Fire Department provide ambulance service, saying he believes it will generate revenue for the city after startup costs are paid.

In addition, the fire department's response times are as good or better than Tri-State Ambulance Inc., the Gundersen Lutheran subsidiary that now provides the service in La Crosse, he said.

The fire department can reach some locations more quickly than Tri-State because it has four stations, while Tri-State dispatches from one site near the hospital, said Fire Chief Pete Stinson.

La Crosse is one of only four medium-size Wisconsin cities where the fire department does not operate the ambulance service, Stinson said. The others are Appleton, Sheboygan and Neenah-Menasha, which also is looking at entering the ambulance arena, he said.

Asked about the city's plans, Marna Holley, Gundersen Lutheran's director of marketing and corporate communications, said Tri-State is discussing a variety of options for emergency response services with the city.

"Tri-State's goal is to ensure that all of the people in the La Crosse area have the best emergency care possible," she said, "and that means a viable, highly skilled paramedic team, and the equipment and technology to support them."

Gundersen is working with the city to enhance emergency services in a manner that is fiscally responsible, she added.

Johnsrud has asked the fire department to update its 2002 study so he can propose a city ambulance service in the 2007 capital improvement budget, Stinson said.

The task of preparing the proposal will fall to the new fire chief, since Stinson will retire Wednesday.

The department already sends first responders to 911 calls in the city, Stinson said.

They provide emergency medical care, he said, but do not transport patients or provide emergency work, medication and equipment done in the ambulance.

Most career firefighters have basic emergency medical technician training, he said. If the city were to operate the ambulance service, 12 to 18 firefighters would have to take an additional 1,200 hours of training to become paramedics.

The city's discussions with Tri-State about ambulance service include deciding whether La Crosse would provide service to the city only, or to surrounding communities as well, Johnsrud said.

Other cities that have taken over metro ambulance runs have found it did not hurt the ambulance company serving outlying areas, Johnsrud said. Such emergency runs are a small part of Tri-State's total business, Stinson said.

The city would buy its own ambulances and equipment, he said. Startup costs, including personnel, training, ambulances, equipment and operations, were estimated at $861,700 over three years, according to the 2002 study.

That study also indicated a municipal ambulance service would bring the city about $337,000 in revenue by the third year.

The International Association of Firefighters, which analyzes costs when departments consider new services, did the 2002 study, said firefighter Jeff Murphy. The city has asked the association to do the update, he said.

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