QUINCY - Quincy joined an agreement with other cities and fire districts to negotiate with a new ambulance service for the city.

The Washington State Department of Health certified American Medical Response (AMR) as the trauma responder capable of replacing Quincy Valley Medical Center.

The hospital decided to end its ambulance service by July.

AMR presently is contracting with Ephrata, Soap Lake and several fire districts to provide ambulance service. The coalition was formed after Grant County Fire District 5 announced it would end its ambulance service.

The Quincy City Council agreed to join the other cities so it could negotiate with the level of service it would get from AMR.

"If we enter into this interlocal agreement with the rest of those entities, then (the) standard contract that they have, we would be approving that," Mayor Jim Hemberry said. "Then what we need to do is authorize staff to sit down with AMR and negotiate an addendum to that contract."

The addendum will include the specific services the city would like the company to provide for the $200,000 the city and the fire district plan to pay AMR, he said.

The cities and fire districts contracting with AMR presently don't pay the ambulance service. The company collects its money through charging the patients riding in the ambulance.

"The really good thing is, if there is a good thing about spending $200,000, we kind of get to dictate a little bit, what level of service we're going to have," Hemberry said.

The hospital stated in its letter to the state it planned to relinquish its trauma certification on July 11, according to Hemberry.

Councilmember Jose Saldana asked why the state chose AMR rather than the other company vying for the certification, Protection One.

"The only thing that he told me was that they didn't have the track record, if you will, as a company here, serving in the area," Hemberry answered.

Saldana pointed out the people presently working for the hospital are likely to be employed by either company coming into the area.

"They've been working there so long there shouldn't be any question about their qualifications," he said. "If they're not certifying the company because (they have) no track record, that's just a big excuse."

The department probably looked at more items than the company's experience, Hemberry said.

"I would like to see more or a better explanation from the state," Saldana said. "If there was anything (Protection One) needed, did they get the chance to fix it? It's just not sufficient enough at all to me."

When city officials met with Mike Lopez, the EMS section supervisor for the office of community health systems with the department of health, he promised the city would be involved in the decision, Saldana said.

"I believe they didn't do anything," he said. "I'd like to know more. More than, it's just a new company and they didn't have the track record."

Hemberry didn't know who Lopez met with, he said; adding the city is under a time constraint because of the hospital turning in their certification.

"I can contact Mike and get that information for you, but it isn't going to change their decision," he said. "That's what I'm trying to explain is this is the new trauma service."

Councilmember Manuel Guerrero agreed with Saldana.

Guerrero and Saldana voted against entering the agreement. Councilmembers Paul Worley, Scott Lybbert and Tony Gonzalez approved. Councilmembers Travis Wittman and Jeremy McCreary were absent.