DETROIT – The Detroit Fire Department has signed an emergency contract to add to the number of ambulances that will be on the road over the next four months.
All employees of the Detroit Fire Department are currently being dual-trained in both fire and EMS services, but in the meantime, there’s a chance that the number of full-time EMS workers on the streets could fall during that transition.
As a result, the department has entered into a four-month emergency contract with Macomb Universal Ambulance Services that will add 11 private ambulances to those on the road this summer.
Previously, there were seven ambulances from Universal Macomb Ambulance Service operating in Detroit, but now that number has grown to 18. The Detroit Fire Department has 22 ambulances, which means there could be up to 40 ambulances in service at any given time during this contract.
“This will be the largest number of ambulances on the street serving Detroiters that we have seen in decades,” Executive Detroit fire Commissioner Chuck Simms said. “We expect this to be a short-term transitional measure. We currently have a class of 40 cadets that will graduate next month. In July, the next academy will start and we expect an additional 70-100 new cadets joining the department by the end of the year.”
The contract is for $500,000 and began this week. It runs through September and covers what are traditionally the busiest months of the year for 911 calls, according to the department.
“Currently, Detroit EMS rigs have a utilization rate of 65-70%, which is far above the national average of 40%,” Simms said. “The additional 11 ambulances will ease the heavy workload for our own EMTs and paramedics to provide better service for the residents of Detroit.”
Simms said the department doesn’t want to risk medics becoming burned out, which could compromise their own well-being or affect service.
Union leaders support the emergency contract, Simms said.
When this contract expires, the department will re-evaluate whether additional support is still needed.