Moline considers privatizing ambulance service to cut costs

MOLINE, IL — Moline residents may soon see new faces when they call 9-1-1. The city administrator has proposed privatizing the city’s emergency medical services as away to help close a 1.7 million dollar deficit, but doing so would mean 12 firefighters would be eliminated from the city staff. Right now, when you call 9-1-1 in Moline, for a fire – the fire department and an ambulance will show up. If you call 9-1-1 for a medical emergency – those same firefighters will show up. That’s because they also serve as the city’s EMS crews. But if Moline city leaders get their way a separate, private ambulance service will be the ones showing up for your medical emergencies.

“We simply move it from the public sector to the private sector and at the same time we save 700k for the citizens,” says Moline Mayor Don Welvaert.

But the problem is all 12 of Moline’s paramedics are also firefighters. So privatizing the city’s medic services means Moline will be cut 12 firefighters. That’s roughly 20 percent of their staff.

“When things get tough you focus on the core services. Police and fire protection are core services, they’re services you cannot jeopardize, cannot cut,” says Moline firefighters and union leader Lt. Brian Vyncke.

Leaders at City Hall say when you factor everything in it costs the City of Moline 700 thousand dollars a year to provide EMS services, something a private company could do for less.

“It makes sense. You maintain the same paramedic level service in the private sector you can do it as efficiently at less cost and I believe the city owes it to the taxpayers to at least look at that,” says Welvaert.

Firefighters say the proposed EMS privatization was only made public a few weeks ago, and they and the public haven’t had time to properly examine the effect this move could have on Moline. City leaders say, after years of shrinking revenues, all the other fat has already been trimmed.

“I say take the time. Take the time let your constituents hear you or speak to you and let them decide,” says Luis Puentes, an engineer with the Moline Fire Department.

The union representing the firefighters says there are other areas were city hall can make cuts. One example they list: Moline is the only city in the area to send work crews out to vacuum up leafs, at a time when their talking about cutting firefighters.

Read the story here.

Watch video here.

Related Stories

• No Related Post