Mount Vernon EMS Contract Going To Transcare?

[rickperry99 8]

Does anyone have any info on this?

[20y2 43]

It's a done deal. The switchover will be somewhere near the end of the year.

[helicopper 1,050]

It's a done deal. The switchover will be somewhere near the end of the year.

How many dedicated units?

What about the Pelhams? Who is covering them now?

[Goose 188]

2 trucks

[rickperry99 8]

What a shame. I really enjoyed working in Mt Vernon.

[SRS131EMTFF 471]

Who covered EMS prior to this change?

[rickperry99 8]

Empress covered Mt. Vernon for 22 years.

[x635 4,066]

Sad. Mount Vernon A-1 is probaly one of the best EMS shifts I have ever worked. Great people, learned a ton from the Medics I worked with as an EMT, nice to have a station in an SSM system, loved it when that red phone rang (with 45-M-1 close behind)

Will Transcare take over the station in the East Sidney Parking Garage?

[ems-buff 81]

most likey, and they are sposed to be suppyling, two ambulances unknow if true or not..... I'm sure someone from TC can talk about it..

[27east 19]

Sad. Mount Vernon A-1 is probaly one of the best EMS shifts I have ever worked. Great people, learned a ton from the Medics I worked with as an EMT, nice to have a station in an SSM system, loved it when that red phone rang (with 45-M-1 close behind as my 2nd fav)

Will Transcare take over the station in the East Sidney Parking Garage?

Who runs 45M1?

[SRS131EMTFF 471]

45-Medic-1 and all of the 45-Medic units are operated by Westchester EMS out of Mt. Kisco.

[fac911 33]

What a sad news this is Mount Vernon EMS was the best things Empress Had. I worked A1 for over 5 years before I left Empress. Had some really good times there, And worked with some really good people! RIP A1

Edited November 25, 2009 by fac911

[Guest paramedico987]

It is my understanding that the previous contract with Empress ends when the ball drops new years eve.

I know that Empress will, obviously, have to vacate the East Sydney station, however I do not know if the City of Mount Vernon has offered them that space.

As for the change, it's been a long time coming. City officials have been upset about the Empress policy to respond in "non-emergency" mode to EDP calls since its implementation, despite the lack of necessity for same.

The deal with Transcare was negotiated behind closed doors and the City did not attempt to negotiate in good faith for a change in contract with Empress. Moreover the contract was not put up for bid.

Last night myself and several of my contemporaries attended the City Council meeting and voiced our concerns. Members of the City Council and the community were stunned and appalled that a longstanding provider with a Union workforce has been pushed out by a backdoor deal with a non-union workforce whose managers have publicly stated that their goal is to damage Empress Ambulance Service and have privately issued a memo suggesting that the IAEP was responsible for the loss of this contract in an effort to dissuade the implementation of IAEP unionization within Transcare's NYC systems. The Council-members ensured us that if they had been made aware that Empress was still interested in continuing services to the City and that there would be a change to a non-union workforce they would have fought against this change. They further encouraged Empress and IAEP to remain involved in the community and to bid aggressively for the contract next year.

I personally believe that investigations as to possible official misconduct regarding the manner in which this contract was awarded is warranted and would not be at all surprised to learn that one or more officials acted inappropriately.

I wish Transcare the best of luck with this new system and hope that the citizens of the City do not suffer from this change, though undoubtedly there will be a handful of deaths from the loss of RSI.

Edited November 25, 2009 by paramedico987

[Guest paramedico987]

The Pelham EMS contract is unchanged, as far as I know. Though I imagine the residents and Town Governments will be upset if 38M1 receives increasing mutual aid requests to cover Mount Vernon.

My understanding is that Transcare will attempt to cover the Vern with 2 units. As a matter of routine Empress has to send in three or four SSM units. It's not uncommon for Mount Vernon's 911 system to drop 5 or more calls within a 10-15 minute period.

I'd love to hear the details of how this system is going to be run. i.e. who's going to dispatch the units, where they'll be stationed if at all, what the city will be paying for the service, etc.

We [iAEP] will make sure that our employees who reside within the City of Mount Vernon get their copies of the contract. Yay, freedom of information act!

[N1Medic 69]

Thanks for the info, Paramedico!

Didn't know there was so much conterversy going on about this- when I went to look at the IAEP's website, I found this:

http://transcareknowthefacts.com/

And their statement regarding the Mount Vernon contract: http://transcareknowthefacts.com/docs/Did_You_Hear_About_Mt_Vernon_EMS.pdf

Transcare is bragging on that site about how them winning the contract results in lost jobs for the Empress IAEP members. They make a strong anti-union case, and it seems they are going at it agressively. Seems the Mount Vernon contract was won just for them to prove a point.

[INIT915 1,119]

The deal with Transcare was negotiated behind closed doors and the City did not attempt to negotiate in good faith for a change in contract with Empress. Moreover the contract was not put up for bid.

How could they not put it out to bid? If that's the case, I would think Empress has a slam-dunk court case challenging the veracity of new contract.

[citystation1848 15]

Change is never easy, no matter who it's with or what it's about. However we must not knock heads with TransCare. Contracts come and go, I realize that, it's the nature of the business. Look at Millbrook in Dutchess County, they switched from Alamo EMS to TransCare after utilizing Alamo since the inception of ALS Service.

Do I believe the fact that TransCare has an anti-union site up? I don't think it's professional at all, but obviously the company is worried that they won't hold as much power if the union went through.

TransCare is definitley growing in the whole Tri-State area. They have the entire County of Putnam, they gained exponentially in Dutchess in 2009, taking on Beacon, Beekman, Castle Point, Fairview, East Clinton, Hyde Park, Millbrook, Pawling, Poughkeepsie, Pleasant Valley and Union Vale. Also a growing presence in Ulster County as well.

The next couple weeks will definitely be interesting... Two medics for that city. I don't know about that one.

[WAS967 97]

Look at Millbrook in Dutchess County, they switched from Alamo EMS to TransCare after utilizing Alamo since the inception of ALS Service.

I'd be willing to bet that Alamo told Millbrook to sign with Transcare because the TC buyout of Alamo was only a month away and it would save them the hassle of having to change the contract.

[StOpGoBlUE 11]

what a shame i work at empress and i love it their i have worked A1 many of times and i still am learing alot.. many thanks to all the great times that my fellow employees have shared we are still strong regardless of what any article says

[NWFDMedic 58]

How could they not put it out to bid? If that's the case, I would think Empress has a slam-dunk court case challenging the veracity of new contract.

Contracts for professional services do not need to go out to bid in New York State.

[Critic 0]

This whole thing raises the question....all this growth of Transcare....has it been done ethically?

Before Metrocare became Transcare, didn't the owner of that company go to jail for corruption? I forget his name, he was out of Brooklyn. And weren't there issues then about how a commercial, for profit company aqquired NYC 911 contracts??

And didn't Jim O'Connor abruptly abandon Empress for the newly formed Transcare (before the merged with Metropolitan and became "Metrocare") right when Empress went bankrupt, and stole contracts from Empress then (like the WMC one)?

I wonder how the membership of FD's with strong unions, like New Rochelle and White Plains, who use the services of Transcare, will react.

[Bnechis 3,961]

This whole thing raises the question....all this growth of Transcare....has it been done ethically?

Before Metrocare became Transcare, didn't the owner of that company go to jail for corruption? I forget his name, he was out of Brooklyn. And weren't there issues then about how a commercial, for profit company aqquired NYC 911 contracts??

And didn't Jim O'Connor abruptly abandon Empress for the newly formed Transcare (before the merged with Metropolitan and became "Metrocare") right when Empress went bankrupt, and stole contracts from Empress then (like the WMC one)?

I wonder how the membership of FD's with strong unions, like New Rochelle and White Plains, who use the services of Transcare, will react.

Sounds like you might have an agenda against transcare. It is very inapropriate to hint that Jim O'Conner has done anything wrong, unless you can state facts.

Almost everything stated in this thread is a repeat of almost every statement made everytime a contract changes. I remember the same statements made when Empress got NR, MV, Yonkers. and when Abbey got the same ones. Reading the same from the Dutchess county changes to.

Since this does not affect NR or WP and we both use Transcare (and I have heard no complaints) what makes you think they would even notice?

[INIT915 1,119]

Contracts for professional services do not need to go out to bid in New York State.

Even a contract for a Municipal Service? They are required to bid out purchases in excess of $20,000. Seems strange they could contract out something like without a bid. However, in Mount Vernon government, nothing is ever surprising.

[helicopper 1,050]

Change is never easy, no matter who it's with or what it's about. However we must not knock heads with TransCare. Contracts come and go, I realize that, it's the nature of the business. Look at Millbrook in Dutchess County, they switched from Alamo EMS to TransCare after utilizing Alamo since the inception of ALS Service.

Do I believe the fact that TransCare has an anti-union site up? I don't think it's professional at all, but obviously the company is worried that they won't hold as much power if the union went through.

TransCare is definitley growing in the whole Tri-State area. They have the entire County of Putnam, they gained exponentially in Dutchess in 2009, taking on Beacon, Beekman, Castle Point, Fairview, East Clinton, Hyde Park, Millbrook, Pawling, Poughkeepsie, Pleasant Valley and Union Vale. Also a growing presence in Ulster County as well.

The next couple weeks will definitely be interesting... Two medics for that city. I don't know about that one.

Nope, change is never easy. When I worked in Mount Vernon we changed patches three times in less than three years. With one of the changes, the vehicles even remained the same. Despite this, EMS still responded to the calls for service and gave and got mutual aid when necessary.

Empress and TransCare may be competitors but they both strive to provide quality medical care so we should wish all involved the best of luck and not weigh into the internal politics of the situation.

As for the contract/bidding issue, that may prove to be quite interesting! I've never heard of a contract such as this being awarded without a bidding process. We'll have to see what happens.

Good luck to all those involved in this transition!

[Goose 188]

Even a contract for a Municipal Service? They are required to bid out purchases in excess of $20,000. Seems strange they could contract out something like without a bid. However, in Mount Vernon government, nothing is ever surprising.

There is no mandate to provide EMS...take a look at the state constitution..only police and fire suppression...

And Chris...are you sure about all that stuff? I've heard some shady things about both companies...no doubt most employees do their best, but many of us have worked commercial EMS and i will be the first to admit...there are things that go on that never consider patient care...

Edited November 26, 2009 by Goose

[NWFDMedic 58]

As for the contract/bidding issue, that may prove to be quite interesting! I've never heard of a contract such as this being awarded without a bidding process. We'll have to see what happens.

These contracts get awarded all the time without a bidding process, but generally not to a commercial service. The ambulance service in my town gets $300K or so from the town and the service doesn't go out to bid. Many municipalities don't go out to bid when they find an ambulance service that they are happy with and just opt to renew or renegotiate a contract. Most often, the contracts that go to bid are the municipalities looking for a change although some municipalities bid the contract every time in an attempt to keep prices in check. There's little disadvantage to going to bid as the municipality is not required to go with the lowest bidder for a professional service.

[LTNRFD 266]

As for the contract/bidding issue, that may prove to be quite interesting! I've never heard of a contract such as this being awarded without a bidding process. We'll have to see what happens.

In the early 80's, Empress was awarded a no bid contract for the City of New Rochelle. This was done after Affiliated Ambulance notified the city that they exercising the 30 day and out clause. Affililate could not keep up their end of the contract and left. The city had less then 30 days to put an EMS provider in the city with out any disruption in coverage. Not knowing all the facts of the Mt.Vernon situation, it could be all on the up and up.

Good luck to Transcare and the Empress employees.

BTW in the early 80's, Mt Vernon was covered by 1 ambulance dedicated to the city and 1 transport ambulance that "IF" available would handle 2nd calls.

[INIT915 1,119]

There is no mandate to provide EMS...take a look at the state constitution..only police and fire suppression...

And Chris...are you sure about all that stuff? I've heard some shady things about both companies...no doubt most employees do their best, but many of us have worked commercial EMS and i will be the first to admit...there are things that go on that never consider patient care...

Mandates have nothing to do with it. They have chosen to issue a contract, and I am surprised to hear that they can do so without bidding.

[helicopper 1,050]

This whole thing raises the question....all this growth of Transcare....has it been done ethically?

Before Metrocare became Transcare, didn't the owner of that company go to jail for corruption? I forget his name, he was out of Brooklyn. And weren't there issues then about how a commercial, for profit company aqquired NYC 911 contracts??

And didn't Jim O'Connor abruptly abandon Empress for the newly formed Transcare (before the merged with Metropolitan and became "Metrocare") right when Empress went bankrupt, and stole contracts from Empress then (like the WMC one)?

I wonder how the membership of FD's with strong unions, like New Rochelle and White Plains, who use the services of Transcare, will react.

EMS mergers and acquisitions have a statutory review process so to imply that there may have been impropriety or unethical conduct without any factual information to substantiate the claim is highly suspect. There are always "issues" in business and like it or not EMS is a business. Do you have any information on the disposition of the issues to which you refer or are you just casting stones? Those who lose or do not receive a contract almost always cry foul so is your post really anything more than sour grapes?

Jim O'Connor, like anyone else, is free to choose who he works for and perhaps it was in his best interest to leave Empress due to their financial instability and bankruptcy. I don't know and it is not appropriate to speculate on anyone's career choices in this forum. If you have factual issues about companies and/or contract awards that you'd like to bring up, please do so but your post is nothing but speculation and innuendo. Jim O'Connor has spent his entire career lobbying for EMS in our area and has been a steadfast advocate for professional patient care so unless you have facts to back up your allegations, please do not impugn his character. Before anyone makes any accusations, I do not, nor have I ever, work for Jim O'Connor or TransCare but we served on the Hudson Valley Regional EMS Council at the same time so I do know a little bit about him.

I'd like to see the definition of "professional contract" that obviates the need for competitive bidding for something like this. For 30 years in Westchester County almost every EMS contract was awarded after a bidding process so to suddenly deviate from that practice does seem irregular. Why would a municipality waste the time and money going through that process if they didn't have to?

MODERATOR NOTE: Any future posts bashing an individual or company will be removed. Discuss this issue professionally and cite your sources if you claim any wrongdoing or other improper conduct. Rumors and speculation are not "sources". Thank you!

[Bnechis 3,961]

Even a contract for a Municipal Service? They are required to bid out purchases in excess of $20,000. Seems strange they could contract out something like without a bid. However, in Mount Vernon government, nothing is ever surprising.

As for the contract/bidding issue, that may prove to be quite interesting! I've never heard of a contract such as this being awarded without a bidding process. We'll have to see what happens.

State purchasing law requires bidding for purchasing, not for contracting of profesional services. That requires an RFP and the municipality can ask for a request for proposal and not advise everyone. They can also determine if a company is not or no longer qualified to put in an RFP (potentially if it feels it has not been performing).

My understanding is that Empress did not have a contract in MV for many years (or if they did, it was only for 30 days, with constant renewals) This was reported to me by A MV official (do not know if its true or not).

So the statement about MV government still hold: who gave any company: Abbey, AA, Abbey, Empress, Trnscare or MVFD the contract?