Amid calls for continuity from city leaders, the Spokane City Council approved a four-year contract with American Medical Response for ambulance services on Monday.
The new agreement maintains the significant price hike hesitantly approved by council members under a one-year bridge contract last year.
The private ambulance company’s negotiated rates in the city of Spokane remain 28% higher than they were just two years ago, but Spokane Fire Department leaders recommended that the city stick with AMR.
Administration officials argued that the rates charged by AMR for ambulance transport in the city of Spokane are comparable to those negotiated in other cities across the Pacific Northwest.
The base price of a level one advanced life support, or ALS, ambulance ride in Spokane is $975, compared to $1,220 in Tacoma, $903 in the Kittitas Valley and $857.39 in Spokane County.