Ambulance change official

Talk about it

The name may have changed, but residents can rest assured many of the faces will remain the same once the Apple Valley-Lakeville-Farmington paramedics become part of Allina Medical Transportation next year.

In a meeting Nov. 10, the ALF Ambulance Board of Directors voted 3-0 to transfer the management and operation of the local ambulance service to the Allina Medical Transportation. The board is made up of one city council member from each of the participating communities. Farmington city council member Steve Wilson, who sits as Farmington’s representative on the EMC, announced the decision during Monday’s council meeting.

“I think it’s going to be an excellent move for Farmington and the community,” he said. “I’m really excited about the move we’ve made.”

On Tuesday, Farmington city administrator Peter Herlofsky, who serves as the ALF Ambulance Executive management Committee chairperson, said all of the issues regarding employee turn over will be addressed in the coming weeks.

Under the terms of a memorandum of understanding signed between ALF Ambulance officials and Allina Medical Transport, Allina is required to make employment offers to all ALF Ambulance paramedics, provided each ALF member has his or her certifications up to date and passes background and driving record checks. It also requires Allina to integrate ALF paramedics into its union, honoring seniority, pay and staffing.

The agreement also guarantees a consistent average response time of eight minutes on a Code 3 (lights and sirens) call. Allina will purchase the current ambulances and keep them staffed at leased facilities within each community. In Farmington, the ambulance will be kept at Fire Station No. 2, on Pilot Knob Road.

Herlofsky said the executive management committee is scheduled to meet later this week to work through some of the details of the agreement, including when it will go into effect. Originally, the transition was set for Jan. 1, 2009, but that could be delayed a couple of weeks, he said.

“The biggest thing is that the decision has been made,” Herlofsky said. “Now we’re getting everything else taken care of.”

Tags: news, ambulance, change