Excerpts from rblandmark.com:
On November 18, despite the fact that Paramedic Services of Illinois (PSI) offered a more expensive proposal, the North Riverside village board voted to extend their five-year contract for paramedic services. PSI has been providing emergency medical services in the village for over 30 years, and this decision was made with the understanding that the village would also explore an alternative plan.
The extension came with a condition: the village administration must consider the proposal from the North Riverside Firefighters Union Local 2714, which suggested hiring both full-time and part-time paramedics to reduce dependency on private companies. This move reflects growing concerns about long-term sustainability and control over emergency response services.
Two private companies submitted proposals for the five-year contract on August 16: PSI and Metro Paramedic Services. Metro’s bid was $2,415,441, while PSI’s was $2,530,200. The union also submitted a proposal to staff ambulances with part-time paramedics, but it didn’t fully meet the village’s requirements.
A rough cost estimate by the fire chief, not officially shared with the administration before the vote, suggested that the union’s plan could cost around $2.1 million over five years. However, the finance director expressed uncertainty about the accuracy of those numbers, highlighting the need for more detailed analysis before making any major decisions.
The union’s idea was inspired by the Village of Bensenville, which successfully transitioned to using in-house paramedics. Two trustees were intrigued by this model after visiting Bensenville’s fire department and recommended further investigation into the option.
Fire Chief John Kiser pointed out that only three full-time paramedics are currently assigned to North Riverside by PSI, and the uncertainty surrounding the contract renewal is making it hard to retain permanent staff. While the village’s ambulance is always fully staffed, there is significant turnover among the crews. He warned that switching to a new provider at this time could lead to a completely new team being assigned to the village, potentially affecting service quality.
Two trustees opposed the contract extension, with one suggesting that the village should reject all current proposals and seek new bids, even though PSI’s latest offer is slightly lower than what the village currently pays. The argument was that this would push companies to be more competitive. In fiscal year 2019-20, the village allocated $523,000 for paramedic services, totaling approximately $2.6 million over five years.
The village board will formally vote on extending the contract with PSI during its meeting on December 16 at 7 p.m. in the council chamber of the Village Commons, located at 2401 Desplaines Avenue.
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