By Christine Rappleye
The Beaumont Enterprise (Texas)
Copyright 2006 The Beaumont Enterprise
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News
An ambulance service in Mid- and South Jefferson County will be changing as the clock flips to 12:01 a.m. Saturday.
The red, white and blue MetroCare EMS ambulances will give way to the red, green and gold Acadian Ambulance Service vehicles.
Lafayette-based Acadian, which provides ambulance services in Orange County and Beaumont, is acquiring some of MetroCare EMS’s assets.
Company officials are always looking to expand, Jerry Romero, vice president of operations, said by phone.
Acadian provides services to more than 30 parishes in Louisiana and one Mississippi county and has 205 ambulances, seven air helicopters, four airplanes and nearly 2,000 employees, according to the company’s Web site.
Before buying MetroCare EMS, Acadian had 140 employees in Texas, including those used in the company’s service to oil rigs, Romero said. Acadian will add eight more ambulances to its fleet to help in the new area, according to a company news release.
All MetroCare medics and drivers were given the opportunity to hire on with Acadian and are in training this week, Romero said.
Because Acadian is employee-owned, the larger the company, the stronger it is, he added.
MetroCare officials could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
MetroCare and StatCare EMS provide emergency medical services for Mid- and South County. The area is divided in half, and the companies rotate weekly in providing service to the areas.
In Port Neches, a 90-day temporary permit for Acadian will take effect at 12:01 a.m. Saturday and the MetroCare permit will be terminated, said Fire Chief Steve Curran.
Curran said by phone he had talked to Orange County officials about the ambulance company’s operations, and they seems similar to MetroCare’s. Essentially, the people will be the same, just dressed in different uniforms, Curran said.
City councilmen will have to approve the permanent permit, he added.
On Tuesday, the Port Arthur City Council approved transferring MetroCare’s permit to Acadian in a 5-3 vote. Council members Felix Barker, Deloris “Bobby” Prince and Robert “Bob” Williamson cast dissenting votes.
Nederland and Groves officials also will have to take some action.