FY2018 Arlington Fire Department Annual Report FY 2018 | Page 19

The City’s ambulance ordinance regulates ambulance services and requires a competitive bidding process to select the
sole provider of ambulance services, a process undertaken in 2017/2018. On October 1, a new ambulance contract
took effect with AMR, achieving many enhancements with a minimal increase
AMR Ready Care is a subscription
of $10 in per-carry charges and with rates remaining competitive for similar
program that eliminates or reduces out-of
area services financed solely through user fees. The utilization of a
-pocket expenses for medically necessary
contractor to provide ambulance transport services saves the City ambulance transports. Residents may
approximately $13,000,000 per year (not including liability enroll in the program at any time. The
insurance), and an additional upfront capital outlay of at least membership fee ranges from $60.00-
$7,000,000. The Emergency Physicians Advisory Board and the Medical $400.00 per year depending on insurance
Director continue to provide clinical oversight of the EMS system.
and is prorated based on enrollment date.
AMR continues to provide the low-cost Ready Care subscription program and For more information, please call AMR at
a Compassionate Care policy for low-income residents. There is no charge for [phone].
ambulance responses unless a patient is transported to the hospital.
The Contract:
• Provides a high-performance Failsafe Franchise model contract
• Five-year term with possibility of two additional three-year extensions
• User fee-based system with no financial subsidy provided by the City
• Contract administered and aggressively regulated by AFD Med Ops team
• Addition of specialty computer aided dispatch system (CAD) exclusively for high
performance ambulance services
The Fleet:
• Fleet units will have a new exterior design
• New technologically advanced clinical equipment
• Increased minimum number of in-service ambulances
• Additional units dedicated to non-emergency interfacility transfers
• 26 ambulances are assigned to serve Arlington
2018 Arboviral Season Report
In 2013, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) changed its recommendation as to the type of prompt that jurisdictions
should use for targeted ground spraying for West Nile Virus (WNV) from the identification of a human case to that of a
mosquito trap where a mosquito has tested positive for WNV. The intent of this change was to implement a more
proactive policy where targeted ground spraying takes place in the areas around a positive trap rather than reacting to
the identification of a human WNV case.
Since 2013, the City has seen a downward trend in human cases in Arlington. In 2018, Arlington reported three
human WNV cases, down from 10 in 2015, which is a significant decrease from 66 cases 2012.
Positive Trap Results
City of Arlington 47
Tarrant County 278
Collin County 23
Dallas County 200
Denton County 21
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