Ambulance Companies to Change on July 1

Starting July 1, the familiar white and red ambulances with wailing sirens will change to blue and gold.

That's because of an earlier decision made by the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors to switch ambulance companies. Rural/Metro, the second largest emergency services provider in the nation, will replace AMR. 

In Milpitas, the ambulances stationed in the city will double, from one to two.

Two EMTs and an ambulance will continue to be based out of the . In addition, a second unit will now be housed at the , said Fire Chief Brian Sturdivant.

The biggest difference in choosing Rural/Metro, according to county officials, is the cost to patients for a trip to the hospital. The base rate and mileage are the bread and butter of most transport, said Josh Davies of the Santa Clara County Department of Public Health, Emergency Medical Services Agency. 

"At the end of the day, finances were a big separator," said Davies.

County Supervisor Dave Cortese said one reason he voted for Rural/Metro was because the company proposed charging $30 a mile, compared with AMR's $90. 

An emergency ambulance trip from the Milpitas hills to Valley Medical Center could have cost an additional $760 to $1,160 under AMR's proposal. 

"AMR submitted a proposal that we believed offered the best balance between high quality clinical care and cost," wrote Jason Sorrick, AMR director of communications and government relations, in an email.

Taxpayers don't pay a dime for ambulance costs; it's the patients and insurance companies that do, according to Davies. Patients without insurance are billed directly. And when they are unable to pay, the ambulance service must absorb the costs.

As a condition of the five-year contract, Rural/Metro was required to offer positions to the EMTs employed with AMR. The number of EMTs in Santa Clara County is about 250, said Travis Kusman, division general manager.

The city of Milpitas will offer separate accommodations to two Rural/Metro units in the form of modular buildings, or trailer buildings, on the property of two fire stations, said Sturdivant.

The EMTs have "a lot of call volume in the middle of the night," he said.

The rent will also be renegotiated. Under the current agreement, which dates back to the early '80s, AMR pays $250 per month to base EMTs out of .

The city will enter into an agreement with Rural/Metro for $1,000 per month for rent of two modular buildings at two fire stations.

Rural/Metro is unfamiliar to county residents, but not to Sturdivant. The company operated a private fire department that contracted with the city of Scottdale, AZ, until city officials decided to create a fire department of their own. Sturdivant was on the management team that oversaw the transition.

AMR will stay in Santa Clara County but provide non-emergency and specialty transportation, according to Sorrick.

A Rural/Metro open house is scheduled for June 24 at 11 a.m. at the new office on 1345 Vander Way (off Gish Road) in San Jose.