WYNNE — The Cross County Quorum Court has given County Judge Lynn Blake approval to negotiate a contract with Pafford EMS to become the sole ambulance provider for the county.
Justices discussed the ambulance issue at length during their regular monthly meeting Monday. An ambulance advisory board — that includes justices Scott May and Kyle Wilson — has been working for several months to establish a contract for the county.
“The RFQs came back and we graded them. We had five RFQs come back. Of those five, we took the top three on the grading points,” said Cross County Judge Lynn Blake. “Pafford, Southern and EASI were the top three contenders. There were two others. Theirs was looked at, put to the side because both of them wanted a subsidy that the county would have to pay them to provide ambulance service to the county.
“We just want something where we can hold their feet to the fire that says you will provide ambulances. You will keep an ambulance here for emergency, and what you do besides that is your business,” Blake added. “They were graded out. It was a close grading between Southern and Pafford. Southern in their RFQ offered three ambulances. Pafford offered five with two guaranteed at all times for emergencies.”
Despite there being two ambulance services currently in Cross County, May said there have been several instances where an ambulance was not available for an emergency. He said that without a contract, the county cannot hold either ambulance service responsible in those situations.
Wynne Fire Chief Kory Ward, a member of the ambulance board, told justices Monday that a contract would not be an immediate fix. However, he said it will be a move in the right direction.
There were some concerns voiced by those in attendance, including Hickory Ridge Police Chief Evan Bunch, who is also currently the highest ranking fire official in Parkin. Justice Kevin Jumper also talked about being hesitant to establish an exclusive contract with a provider. However, he said he would not move to hold up the contract if it helped to improve the current situation.
While he has the sole authority to approve the contract, Judge Blake said he will not approve a contract without the backing of the quorum court. Blake said he also wants all four municipalities in the county — Wynne, Cherry Valley, Hickory Ridge and Parkin — to approve an ordinance stating that the county would have the sole contract and the city would not try to establish a contract of its own.
The Wynne and Cross County School Districts will be required to have their own contract to provide an ambulance for athletic events. However, officials said all three of the top companies that bid on the contract — Pafford, Southern Ambulance and EASI — would be willing to work with the school districts.
Justices gave Blake the approval to begin contract negotiations with Pafford, which was the highest-ranked of the three based on qualifications provided to the ambulance board. However, if the parties are not able to reach an agreement, Blake would move to Southern and then EASI.
The contract would be for three years and would start around Jan. 1, allowing either party to exit the contract in 2030.
