Milford looking to the private sector for ALS transport

The Milford Township Board of Trustees at its meeting on Wednesday, July 18 will look to approve a request for proposals (RFP) to send to ambulance companies throughout Oakland County for advanced life support (ALS) transport service.

“I expect it to be approved by the board and then have copies mailed out,” Township Clerk Holly Brandt said. “It will be sent to every ambulance company that’s legally allowed to operate in Oakland County.”

The draft of the RFP was first presented at the township board’s June 20 meeting. Brandt said that the final copy won’t have any major changes from the original draft.

The proposed RFP will call for a company to be the secondary medical response agency to the Milford Fire Department, which would provide basic life support (BLS) transport services.

The township has indicated that it is seeking to enter a contract for a period of five years.

The Milford Fire Department and the private sector company would work together to provide transport of the sick and injured to area hospitals.

The company would be asked to provide 24-7 ALS coverage, including providing emergency medical dispatch instruction for Milford Police Department dispatchers.

In addition, the company would be asked to meet monthly with the fire chief and the township supervisor, or their designees, to review run statistics for the prior month and resolve any issues.

In the RFP, the township is asking for an ambulance company to submit its credentials, including its experience and financial strength, as well as its policies on operations, personnel and training, reporting and community outreach.

The RFP draft process has taken almost a year since the township Board of Trustees decided in September to expand its search for a township ambulance service provider to include other providers in the county.

The township originally was considering the ambulance services of just three providers.