The Edmond City Council voted Jan. 13 to execute and renew its agreement with American Medical Response (AMR) for emergency medical services and asked staff to further explore an enhanced-service option that staff described as raising annual city costs to about $1,280,930.

City staff introduced three amendment options during a presentation to the council. Staff said the current agreement is meeting roughly 90% combined compliance for priority 1 and 2 emergency calls but recommended an option that would increase minimum on‑street ambulances, raise targeted response compliance to 92% and require a dedicated supervisor on duty 24/7.

Why it matters: Council members framed the choice as one of public safety and reliability. Multiple council members said higher compliance and more rigs on the street are worth the additional cost for life‑or‑death responses. Staff advised the city has a reserve funded by membership fees that, at current levels, could cover the extra expense for multiple years without tapping general funds.

Staff presentation and options

A city safety official presented three options discussed with AMR: (1) increase weekly ambulance unit hours to raise minimum non‑peak staffing from two to three ambulances (staff estimated this option would cost about $120,383 annually); (2) keep current unit hours but remove the supervisor from ambulance duty so a systemwide supervisor would monitor operations (staff presentation included an unclear cost figure for option 2 in the transcript); and (3) combine both changes — more unit hours plus a dedicated 24/7 supervisor — raising compliance to the 92% threshold and adding contractual liquidated damages if compliance drops below 92% (staff estimated $1,280,930 annually for option 3).

Council discussion and vote

Councilmembers repeatedly expressed satisfaction with AMR’s performance and called 90% compliance “amazing,” but several said improving to 92% and adding supervisory capacity would better protect residents. One councilmember noted membership fees currently generate a reserve the city could use, and staff said that reserve could cover the additional cost for roughly seven years at current membership levels.

The council voted to renew the AMR contract (recorded as agenda item 9B1). After discussion, several councilmembers voiced support for option 3 and asked staff to pursue it with AMR; the council did not record a separate formal roll‑call vote directing staff, but staff said they would work with AMR and return with recommendations.

Actions recorded

- Motion: execute and renew AMR contract (agenda item 9B1). Mover/second: not specified in transcript. Outcome: approved.
- Direction (staff task, not a recorded roll‑call decision): council signaled support for staff to pursue Option 3 (expanded hours + 24/7 dedicated supervisor) and return with a contract amendment recommendation; no formal tally recorded.

Financial and operational context

Staff said the city’s membership program generates funds earmarked for EMS, and those funds currently create a reserve. City staff and one councilmember estimated that, without additional membership growth, the reserve would cover the incremental cost of the preferred option for multiple years. Staff also said AMR’s national relationships can produce equipment savings for the city.

What’s next

Council approved renewal of the contract and asked staff to work with AMR on the scope and cost of the enhanced option and bring a recommendation to a future meeting.