EGN NEWS DESK
On Thursday, Sept. 12, a San Bernardino Superior Court judge put the county’s plan to change to a brand new ambulance supplier on maintain whereas AMR’s authorized problem goes ahead. The county had deliberate to change suppliers on Oct. 1.
In December 2023, the county Board of Supervisors, appearing in its function as Inland Counties Emergency Medical Agency board members, voted unanimously to signal a five-year contract for ambulance service in a lot of the county with Consolidated Fire Agencies (CONFIRE), beginning October 2024. CONFIRE is a joint operation of 15 hearth departments.
AMR, the county’s long-time ambulance companies supplier, expressed shock on the board’s determination and two months later it sued San Bernardino County in federal courtroom. In its swimsuit, AMR alleged the board’s determination violated state regulation in awarding the contract to CONFIRE, which scored fewer factors within the county’s assessment and analysis course of, and within the course of violated federal antitrust regulation.
On Thursday, Superior Court Judge Jay H. Robinson granted AMR’s movement for a preliminary injunction, placing the transition course of on maintain whereas its authorized problem goes ahead.
Robinson made the choice, he wrote, after “evaluating American Medical Response of Inland Empire’s (‘AMR’) probability of prevailing on the deserves of its claims, the interim harms which AMR would undergo ought to the Court deny the injunction, the interim harms which County Defendants and CONFIRE would undergo ought to the Court grant the injunction; and after figuring out the injunction finally promotes the general public curiosity in open and truthful aggressive bids.”
All events are subsequent scheduled to fulfill on Oct. 8 to iron out particulars of how the case will proceed.
On Friday, AMR applauded Robinson’s determination.
“This is a win for the folks of San Bernardino,” Mike Rice, vp of operations for AMR, is quoted as saying in an announcement issued by the corporate. “Although the litigation will proceed, this determination will be certain that San Bernardino County will proceed to have entry to the high-quality emergency care and medical transport companies within the interim that it has trusted for over 40 years by AMR.”
ICEMA (and San Bernardino County) spokesperson David Wert wrote in an electronic mail Friday that “ICEMA and the ICEMA board will think about choices whereas guaranteeing emergency medical companies stay out there with out interruption.”
He declined to present a timeline for when CONFIRE is perhaps taking on.
Dawn Rowe, chairperson of the Board of Supervisors and ICEMA governing board, wrote in an announcement Friday that she “(anticipates) being briefed by counsel on the matter and growing a method for guaranteeing one of the best care is accessible to residents.”
Colorado-based American Medical Response offers ambulance service in 40 states and the District of Columbia. AMR has offered ambulance service to San Bernardino County for greater than 40 years, initially doing enterprise as Advanced Life Support.
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