Aurora RM

[MikeyB]

I had to ask so I'm starting a new topic - what happens if there is an emergency in Aurora that requires more ambulances than RM can supply - plane crash, mass-shooter, etc? Or does the exclusive contract not apply to mutual aid situations like that?

 

[chris_a_rodgers]

If such an occurrence happens, Rural Metro has plenty options for Mutual Aid. Surrounding agencies like Denver, AMR, Cunningham, Littleton, South Metro, & Pridemark are just a couple of the agencies they can call upon to get help. With Rural Metro Aurora they merged with Pridemark Paramedics a couple months back so it's just a matter of calling Pridemark and requesting for resources for coverage or to run calls.

 

[MikeyB]

If such an occurrence happens, Rural Metro has plenty options for Mutual Aid. Surrounding agencies like Denver, AMR, Cunningham, Littleton, South Metro, & Pridemark are just a couple of the agencies they can call upon to get help. With Rural Metro Aurora they merged with Pridemark Paramedics a couple months back so it's just a matter of calling Pridemark and requesting for resources for coverage or to run calls.

There are options but I was just wondering how an 'exclusive' contract that prevented other ambulance services from operating in Aurora worked with regards to something like this.

 

[n0doz]

AFAIK the RM contract with Aurora has nothing to do with other companies operating in the city, but rather that RM is the ambulance company for city calls originating thru 911 or PD/FD. For example, Action Care can still pick up Grandma from the hospital and take her back to the nursing home, but RM responds with PD on a shooting, unless there are no RM cars available, at which time M/A agreements kick in.

 

[jimmnn]

AFAIK the RM contract with Aurora has nothing to do with other companies operating in the city, but rather that RM is the ambulance company for city calls originating thru 911 or PD/FD. For example, Action Care can still pick up Grandma from the hospital and take her back to the nursing home, but RM responds with PD on a shooting, unless there are no RM cars available, at which time M/A agreements kick in.

But AC or Denver Health for example are not allowed to run 911 calls in the city of Aurora. There have been many times RM is out of ambs in Aurora (or level zero) and they will not call mutual aid, they will wait for some units to clear or other RM units in Littleton covering that contract can respond back to Aurora.

Aurora also does not have mutual aid agreements for EMS the way most other cities do.

Jim<

 

[n0doz]

>Aurora also does not have mutual aid agreements<
Right. Weird, too. However, that doesn't seem to go both ways. I've escorted RM cars on the airfield covering for DHMC in the past.

 

[MikeyB]

Going back to my question - what happens if there's a MCI or if there's a critical patient that has to wait for an ambulance? Seems like a lawsuit waiting to happen. I remember the television investigation about the 'Scene Secure' in Aurora. Maybe they should do one here!

Isn't there a part of Aurora right by Cunningham #61 where Cunningham is the ambulance provider?

 

[jimmnn]

>Aurora also does not have mutual aid agreements<
Right. Weird, too. However, that doesn't seem to go both ways. I've escorted RM cars on the airfield covering for DHMC in the past.

Correct it's not both ways, RM goes out of the city to help but no one comes in. Pretty much the same with AFD also they go into Montbello or Cunningham to help but very rarely does DFD enter Aurora.

Jim<

 

[AceWeb]

Very interesting; I did not know that Aurora does not have a mutual aid agreement. I thought surely if they needed more help they will get it outside of the "district". For regular calls I guess they will wait for a unit to clear but one would think that for anything major there must be something in place to get assistance from others.

 

[firescannerbob]

It's important to remember that Mutual Aid agreements are NOT signed by the providers, but by the local government.
In other words, if city "A" and city "B" sign mutual aid agreements with each other, that agreement applies regardless of who provides the service to cities A and B.
So, it's not a matter of whether or not RM has an agreement (their only agreement is with the city), but whether Aurora has agreements with anyone else.
One more thing, the RM units that are seen in other cities may be RM units that are NOT part of the Aurora system/contract. In other words, just because a RM unit is seen taking a call in Denver, that doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the city of Aurora.

 

[jimmnn]

Completely correct Bob and the contact only get's more confusing from there.

Jim<

 

[kc0kp]

I have left instructions with my wife that she haul my lifeless carcass the four blocks to the Denver city limit before calling 911. Our family has used their miserable service and wound up in collections before they even billed our health insurance. You almost need a credit card to get out of the ambulance. Then you wind up in Aurora South ER where you DO need a credit card to get out of the building.
Craig

 

[n0doz]

>Going back to my question - what happens if there's a MCI or if there's a critical patient that has to wait for an ambulance?<
I don't think it's entirely sarcastic to say we'll just have to wait and see...!
I'll second Bob's comment. They have their red "Aurora" cars and their white/lime "RM" cars. I don't recall which I escorted, just that it was definitely RM.
On a somewhat related note, I had occasion to call 911 a couple weeks ago when Mrs. N0DOZ fell off a ladder and broke her ankle in multiple places. 63's from Cunningham arrived in a very few minutes, packaged her distorted limb, extricated her from the bathroom (long story) and got her down to Parker. Oh, yeah, and kept me calm, too. She's recovering, feisty as ever.
A big THANK YOU to my neighborhood firefighters!

 

[N0GTG]

The last I heard, the procedure was for AFD Dispatch to request the ambulances as needed (normally by R/M seeing the calls come up on the CAD), and it is R/M's job to provide resources. If they are out of dedicated ambulances (the red ones that say City Of Aurora), they can bring in their GT (General Transport) ambulances from outside the city, or 'turf' the call to another ambulance operation such as Cunningham, Action Care, etc. Occasionally they have even brought in BLS (Basic Life Support) cars with an OK from the AFD officer on the call, but that is rare. AMR very seldom is used in the city. for certain reasons. Ironic, with their world HQ in Aurora. They do run their contract routine transports in Aurora.

 

[jimmnn]

The last I heard, the procedure was for AFD Dispatch to request the ambulances as needed (normally by R/M seeing the calls come up on the CAD), and it is R/M's job to provide resources. If they are out of dedicated ambulances (the red ones that say City Of Aurora), they can bring in their GT (General Transport) ambulances from outside the city, or 'turf' the call to another ambulance operation such as Cunningham, Action Care, etc. Occasionally they have even brought in BLS (Basic Life Support) cars with an OK from the AFD officer on the call, but that is rare. AMR very seldom is used in the city. for certain reasons. Ironic, with their world HQ in Aurora. They do run their contract routine transports in Aurora.

Kurt, I thought AMR world HQ was still in Greenwood Village, has it moved?

http://www.amr.net/About-AMR.aspx

Jim<

 

[04Z1V6]

The way that the contract seems to be used today is really not any deferent then the way it was run in the 80's except we mostly used BLS cars. I remember running code across Denver to cover calls in Aurora because we were out of cars in Aurora, Reed would have never aloud another company to cover a call in Aurora. I was on "Ambulance 398" then, a North Wash car in a first response ALS contract and had to cover in Aurora more then once. We had one MCI and at that time we hung one person from the ceiling hooks had one on the bench and another on the pram with me and my partner attending and a AFD station 5 fire fighter driving.

 

[N0GTG]

Kurt, I thought AMR world HQ was still in Greenwood Village, has it moved?

AMR | American Medical Response | About AMR

Jim<

Jim, I didn't realize they had moved. When they relinquished the Aurora contract to R/M, they were located on Parker Rd near Peoria in a big office building. At that time, anyway, it was ironic.

 

[kc0kp]

Jim, I didn't realize they had moved. When they relinquished the Aurora contract to R/M, they were located on Parker Rd near Peoria in a big office building. At that time, anyway, it was ironic.

You are right. They were in that building next to Lone Star Steak House. Lone Star is gone too. A coincidence? I think not.
Craig