Gilbert is going into the ambulance business, promising faster response times and cheaper billing rates than private operator American Medical Response.
Town Council last Tuesday voted 5-2 to buy six ambulances, stretchers and power cots for $1.7 million despite AMR representatives saying they provide a “first-class system” for Gilbert. The service could be operational as early as May.
“We as a Council are the guardian of the public trust in Gilbert,” Mayor Scott Anderson said. “Our responsibility is to serve and keep the public safe. In other words, we are delegated to the Constitution to protect the health, safety and welfare of this community.” He said in contracting with AMR the town was delegating that trust to the company, which has “violated” it based on four years of response-time data.
“I know we are talking seconds sometime,” Anderson said.