Acadian Vice President Troy Mayer and Live Oak County Emergency Services District No. 1 President Lillie Mae Wieding both said the contract has been awarded, although it hasn’t been finalized and signed.
Acadian will get $60,000 per month to provide the service, compared to the $38,000 Guardian EMS received.
Acadian took over ambulance service from Guardian on Dec. 1, after the ESD board and it could not agree on a revised contract. Guardian had asked for an increase in its subsidy and the board was dissatisfied with Guardian’s performance.
Wieding said of Acadian, “We feel like they’ve done a good job. They are providing the required reports.”
While Guardian’s contract required three ambulances stationed in the county 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Acadian will have two ambulances 24/7 and a third 12 hours a day, five days a week.
Initially, Acadian had based two ambulances in the county 24/7, but Mayer said the number of calls indicated another ambulance was needed.
“There are challenges as far as geographical size goes,” Mayer said. “Our average response time has been 12 minutes, but it is longer to outlying areas.”
Since Dec. 1, Acadian has transported an average of four patients a day, he said.
Live Oak County Sheriff Larry Busby said that he’s heard no complaints about Acadian.
“I’ve been pleased with them,” he said.
Wieding said a consultant was preparing the final contract and she hoped it would be signed within a week.
The ESD was created in 2009 and is funded by property taxes.
Guardian had been providing ambulance service in the county since 2008.
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