Loudon County OKs contract with Priority Ambulance

Hugh G. Willett knoxnews.com

The Loudon County Commission Monday unanimously approved a contract with Priority Ambulance for exclusive emergency and nonemergency service.

Loudon County represents Priority's first countywide emergency ambulance contract in East Tennessee. The county's previous contract with Rural/Metro Ambulance ended Dec. 31.

The new contract goes into effect immediately with Priority Ambulance staff and ambulances already in place to provide service, according to Dennis Rowe, director of operations for Priority in East Tennessee.

"We're ready to start providing Loudon County with the highest quality service immediately," Rowe said.

Priority, which has been working with Loudon and Lenoir City since April 2014, is already integrated with the county first responder network, according to Loudon County Mayor Buddy Bradshaw.

"This will make it a lot easier on the dispatchers," he said.

Bradshaw said Priority has shown a commitment to serving the community with excellent patient care and customer service, as well as participating in community events. In the future Priority will be spearheading health initiatives and investing in local organizations, he said.

After an initial six-month contract period, Priority Ambulance will sign a five-year agreement with the county to align with the contracts with the cities of Loudon and Lenoir City.

Among the issues to be discussed for the new contract include a franchise or dispatch fee and a performance bond. Although the original request for proposal from the county included the requirement for a $250,000 performance bond, the issue will be discussed when the long-term contract is negotiated, said county attorney Robert Bowman.

"It comes down to whether the county wants the bond when the five one-year terms start, or does it want Priority to take the cost of the bond, which Priority says is substantial, and apply it to a franchise fee to the county or use it to provide other services to the county?. This will be negotiated over the next six months," Bowman said.

According to Rowe, the performance bond was problematic for the company because of the initial six-month contract period and the amount. The money could be better used to invest in new life-saving equipment, he said.

As part of its agreement, Priority will continue to provide free standby service for sporting events, festivals, parades and other community events; host free CPR, first-aid and public safety classes for the community; and purchase and place automated external defibrillators (AED) in government buildings and public spaces.

Among the new programs Priority plans to participate in would be those helping elderly people stay in their home longer and increased training in lifesaving for organizations such as the Tellico Village Fire Department, Rowe said.

Priority also plans to participate in county events to get know residents and build trust, he said. Loudon County management team members, including Rowe, are lifelong residents of the county with decades of experience overseeing ambulance services throughout East Tennessee.

Priority has committed six new, state-of-the-art Mercedes-Benz advanced life support (ALS) ambulances, as well as a four-wheel drive critical care ambulance for emergency and inter-facility transports. Three ALS ambulances will be staffed around-the-clock, and one ALS ambulance will be staffed 12 hours a day during peak hours.

Priority's Loudon County headquarters will be located at the Loudon County ambulance operations center on Sugarlimb Road near the Justice Center and will serve the county from three substations located in the communities of Lenoir City, Loudon and Antioch.