There has been a scramble in East Liverpool. Seconds count in an emergency, and the city only had days to figure out a new approach to providing emergency medical services. We went to the city on Thursday and talked to the chief about the change and why it was necessary.
A new direction for EMS in East Liverpool starts Sunday morning. The fire department will start operating EMS ambulances so that the city can keep ambulance services within city limits.
“They’ve all pulled together and it’s been all hands on deck since we received the notice March 6,” said East Liverpool Fire Chief Bill Jones. The department has operated a public/private co-op since 2018, but the private side is ending the contract. It only gave 30 days’ notice, instead of the required 180.
Chief Jones credits the mayor, council, auditor and his staff for making this work on short notice.