DETROIT (WXYZ) — More Metro Detroit communities are turning to private ambulance companies to help keep emergency medical services running as staffing shortages and rising 911 call volumes strain local systems.
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Cities including Southgate, Hamtramck, and River Rouge are now relying on third-party EMS contracts to address those pressures. One of the providers filling that role is AmeriPro EMS, which responds to 911 calls and handles transports for several communities, including Highland Park, River Rouge, and Hamtramck.
EMT Mercedes Brown has worked in the field since 2014 and has watched the shift unfold firsthand.
"Detroit, when I first started, was really the only city that I knew of or at least recognized to do the private side of things, and now I feel like I'm seeing it almost everywhere," Brown said.
Hamtramck Fire Chief Matthew Wyszczelski said his city has used AmeriPro for years, a relationship that began during a period of financial difficulty.
"Back about a dozen years ago, the city was having some financial difficulty, and our council, and mayor, and city manager at the time decided to outsource EMS services," Wyszczelski said.
The arrangement has continued well beyond those early budget pressures.
"It's a delivery model that allows for them to contract out, negotiate a price with the vendors through the bid process, and it takes away a lot of legacy costs. Having an outside vendor, it is cost-savings long-term," Wyszczelski said.
Web extra: EMT Mercedes Brown talks about private EMS service
Wyszczelski said restarting a city-run EMS transport service would cost Hamtramck more than $1 million.
"And that's $1 million that most municipalities don't have in their budget just to do a start-up on EMS," he said.
The chief also warned that broader systemic pressures are building.
"I think until these key services become a higher priority, we're going to keep seeing these shortages and longer response times, and lack of manpower," Wyszczelski said.
Andrew Oleksiak, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 750, echoed that concern in a statement.
"The unfortunate reality is that a municipality's ability to provide certain types/levels of services are limited to the willingness/ability of that municipality to pay for those services. At the end of the day, the focus has to stay on maintaining timely and effective fire protection and emergency medical care for the people we serve," Oleksiak said.
AmeriPro EMS Director of Operations Sannid Saleh said his crews are now handling nearly 110 calls a day across Metro Detroit, a significant jump from the previous year.
"There's probably a 35% growth in volume, and we're going to see it just keep going," Saleh said.
Saleh said the company's mission remains focused on patient care.
"We're an EMS company. We're here for medical reasons only. We're just going to make sure that you get the medical care you need to get to where you have to go safely," Saleh said.
As more communities struggle with staffing shortages and rising call volumes, city leaders say private EMS crews are quickly becoming part of the new normal.
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