7 towns seek proposals for ambulance services in 2025

Photos by Tom Rivers: A Monroe Ambulance rig was parked near the scene of a fire in the Town of Gaines in April.

ALBION – Seven towns in central and eastern Orleans County are seeking proposals from ambulance providers to serve the seven-town block.

Monroe Ambulance has had the ambulance contract for most of 2023, and then for 2024. The seven towns previously did not pay for ambulance services.

The towns this year are paying Monroe Ambulance $300,000, The agreement calls for Monroe to station an ambulance in Albion 24 hours a day, seven days a week and one in Holley for at least 12 hours a day, seven days a week. Monroe also said it will draw on ambulances in Monroe County if there is a need in Orleans County.

The contract is divvied up among the towns based on call volume. The amounts for each town in 2024 include Albion at $155,820, Barre at $13,740, Gaines at $12,030, Carlton at $22,350, Clarendon at $25,350, Kendall at $17,850 and Murray at $52,860.

The first contract started in April 2023 with Monroe paid $181,200 from six of the towns. Kendall didn’t contribute the first year when Monroe was seeking $200,000 for the seven towns.

A Mercy EMS ambulance is shown in Albion in October 2022.

Mercy EMS took over COVA’s ambulance station and vehicles after the organization ceased operations in late 2022. Mercy has sought to be considered for the contract for the seven towns. Many COVA employees work for Mercy.

The seven towns declined to do an RFP last year for the ambulance contract, with Town Board members saying they wanted at least a full year of data from Monroe to measure call responses and service.

The towns are now seeking an RFP with the contract up to three years. The RFPs are due at the Albion Town Hall by noon on July 22.

The ambulance providers need to bid on a contract for two basic life support ambulances available 24/7 and one advanced life support fly car 24/7.

“The bid response should include specific response times, and how those response times will be measured,” the bid documents state.

The ambulance providers also need to identify housing for the ambulance and fly car. The Albion highway department has made part of its facility available to Monroe Ambulance but the municipalities state in the RFP that the towns won’t be providing facilities for the ambulances.

To see the RFP from the towns, click here.