After months of concern expressed by officials inside and outside of the emergency medical services community in Allen County, the Three Rivers Ambulance Authority found its contractor in default Thursday.
Paramedics Logistics provides the EMTs and paramedics that staff the ambulances and handle the daily operations for TRAA, which operates the primary EMS service for the City of Fort Wayne.
According to a press release, the TRAA board’s decision to find the company in default triggers a 30-day requirement to resolve the issue.
The issue is lagging response times far below the national standard for the most serious calls, including heart attacks, strokes, and traumas. The national standard for so-called Priority 1 runs is 90 percent. So far through 2022, Paramedics Logistics is hitting around 73 percent.
The company has been out of compliance in its response time for 20 consecutive months, according to the release.
There is a nationwide-shortage of paramedics.
In May, the Allen County Fire Chiefs Association penned a letter to the Fort Wayne City Council expressing concern about how staffing issues at TRAA were affecting patient care with long response times.
City council members have expressed interest in having the Fort Wayne Fire Department provide ambulance transport services, which it is not equipped to do.
