Streator council to consider increased payment to ambulance personnel provider

American Medical Response Solutions, the company that provides personnel for Streator’s ambulance, said it needs to offer large signing bonuses and higher than expected wages to attract EMS staff to Streator.

To offset the expense, the company is seeking to increase its service fee beginning in January.

The Streator City Council will consider AMR’s proposal at its meeting 4 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 9, meeting at City Hall, 204 S. Bloomington St.

City Manager David Plyman said in a memo to the council first-year monthly rates will increase from $94,750 to $108,614, a 14.6% percent raise. Future year increases moderate to about 3%, Plyman said in the memo.

The city had entered into a three-year agreement in July 2022 with AMR through 2024-25, with the option of a fourth and fifth year.

City staff included the higher EMS personnel costs in its 2024 budget, Plyman said.

“We should be able to recover some of this increase through higher ambulance revenue payments in Fiscal Year 2025, such as through the federally funded (Ground Emergency Medical Transportation) program.”

In July of 2022, the city approved a contract with AMR to provide two paramedics and two emergency medical technicians per 24 hour shift to operate the city’s emergency ambulance service. The City Council decided to contract the emergency ambulance service after Advanced Medical Transport, its long-time independent emergency ambulance service, asked for a subsidy to continue operation in the city.

The city has operated the ambulance service with AMR since October 2022.

Under the agreement, the parties agreed to meet and confer regarding the contract scope and to make any adjustments, Plyman said in his memo. AMR said it is difficult attracting and keeping talented staff as well as keeping wages competitive, especially with inflation.

Neighboring communities have shared similar situations, including publicly to U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Naperville, during a visit she made to Illinois Valley Community College. Fire chiefs told Underwood on that August visit, they were experiencing less funding and staff shortages.

Additionally, the City Council is expected to discuss Tuesday code enforcement, the modification of its committee of the whole schedule and migrant buses.