Excerpts from rblandmark.com:
On November 18, despite the fact that Paramedic Services of Illinois (PSI) offered a pricier proposal, the North Riverside village board voted to extend their five-year contract for paramedic services. PSI has been providing emergency medical support to the village for over 30 years. However, this decision came with a condition: the administration must explore an alternative plan proposed by the North Riverside Firefighters Union Local 2714.
The union’s idea is to transition from a private company to in-house staffing, hiring both full-time and part-time paramedics. This would reduce the village's dependency on external contractors. Two proposals were submitted by private firms—PSI and Metro Paramedic Services—on August 16. Metro’s bid was $2,415,441 for a five-year contract, while PSI’s was slightly higher at $2,530,200.
Meanwhile, the Firefighters Union also submitted a proposal to staff ambulances with part-time paramedics. However, it didn’t fully meet the village’s requirements. A quick calculation by the fire chief, though not shared with the administration before the vote, suggested that the union’s plan could cost around $2.1 million over five years. But the finance director wasn’t able to confirm those numbers.
The union’s proposal was inspired by Bensenville’s model, where the village employs its own full- and part-time paramedics. Two trustees expressed interest in exploring this option after visiting the Bensenville Fire Department to learn more about their system.
Currently, only three full-time paramedics are assigned to North Riverside by PSI. With the contract extension in question, Fire Chief John Kiser said it's becoming harder to retain contract paramedics who are willing to commit long-term. While the ambulance is always fully staffed, the high turnover rate makes it challenging to maintain consistent care. Kiser even suggested extending the current contract to avoid the risk of having entirely new crews assigned to the village.
Two trustees opposed the extension. One of them argued that the village should reject the August proposals and seek new bids, even though PSI’s latest offer is cheaper than the current rate. He believed this approach would push companies to be more competitive. In fiscal year 2019–20, the village allocated $523,000 for paramedic services, which would total $2,615,000 over five years.
The village board will officially vote on extending the contract with PSI during its meeting on December 16 at 7 p.m. in the council chamber at Village Commons, located at 2401 Desplaines Avenue. The decision could have long-term implications for how emergency services are managed in the area.
container reach stacker,hydraulic reach container,hydraulic reach stacker,hydraulic excavator
Xinghan Muzhi Digital Technology (Xuzhou) Co., Ltd. , https://www.steelkingkong.com