Ambulance company licensed by two councils

Erin Neff and Diana Sahagun

Thursday, Oct. 5, 2000 | 11:02 a.m.

A long and often bitter feud between two ambulance companies seemed just a distant memory Wednesday as two city councils granted Southwest Ambulance license to do business.

Southwest is expected to have its first non-emergency crews on the road Nov. 11, although it will not be providing emergency service until the new year.

The Las Vegas City Council unanimously approved a five-year franchise for Southwest Ambulance to provide non-emergency and non-911-dispatched service within the city limits.

City Councilwoman Lynette Boggs McDonald abstained on the vote because her political adviser is an outside consultant for American Medical Response, the other ambulance provider in town.

Southwest will pay the city a $25,000-a-year franchise fee for the non-emergency service, but the firm also will be available in the city if ambulance crews are needed as backup on emergency calls.

"We had gone in and asked that they use us as a back-up service provider," said Sharon Henry, one of Southwest's executives. "When that occurs, it's up to the fire department to call us."

In Las Vegas, both AMR and the city's fire department provide medical transport and emergency services.

But in North Las Vegas, under the redesigned service areas, Southwest will be the only 911-provider in town when it begins operations.

The North Las Vegas City Council unanimously approved a new franchise agreement for AMR to provide non-emergency service for five years. AMR will pay the city $7,500 annually for its franchise.

Southwest Ambulance will provide both emergency and non-emergency ambulance service in North Las Vegas once it is up and running.

"We're disappointed that we won't be your emergency service provider," Trace Skeen, spokesman for AMR, told the North Las Vegas City Council.

In addition to granting Southwest a franchise Wednesday, the Las Vegas City Council also repealed its code governing ambulances and replaced it with a new one.

AMR was then granted a franchise to provide both emergency and non-emergency service in the city under the new code. AMR will pay the city $287,000 annually over five years.

Henry said Southwest is busy conducting interviews for staff and should begin providing emergency care in portions of the county and in North Las Vegas sometime in January 2001.