Rural Metro is an EMS and Fire Service Private provider in the USA. This company came up many years ago, and has a strategy that is not unique, but extremely effective in the acquisition of prime ambulance service territory contracting.
Years ago, Rural Metro came roaring into town, when the San Diego Fire Dept made noises to the effect that they wanted to take over the paramedic services in the CITY OF SAN DIEGO!
Rural Metro, long known for beginning a ""partnership"" with communities and cities for fire protection and ambulance services, is known also for coming back in to a community after the ""honeymoon"" period is over and competing openly against the agency it once served.
In fact, many outside of the City of San Diego Fire Department begged and pleaded with the chiefs and administrative personnel SDFD to not do this... to no avail. Today, the private and the public are partnered in a revenue generation machine that has the taxpayers of San Diego in a web that they will likely never get out of. (What ever happen to ethics and morals?)
Eventually, the honeymoon will be over between these two agencies. In fact, the deal almost came to a conclusion at the 10th year when the two made a last minute deal to extend their contract for the ""good of the people"" on an elevator ride up in the city hall building in San Diego in 2008.
Good luck to the City of San Diego at shaving 8 million out of the budget next year. You know, if the NURSES in San Diego County, hadn't written the ""rules"" for which an ALS Ambulance could function in an ALS Role.... The privates would be running the show, like they do in every other major population center in the country, and the taxpayers would be putting more tax dollars back in their pockets!
I have worked in the system locally, it is a mess!! it needs to be fixed.
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