Building an EMS system from the ground up
Doug Hooten on how ESD 11 is tackling recruitment, station construction and fleet purchasing
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If someone called you in and presented you with the challenge of creating your own ambulance service and building it from the bottom up – to be up, running, staffed and equipped within 365 days, would you know to begin?
In this edition of EMS One-Stop podcast, our host, Rob Lawrence, interviews Doug Hooten, CEO of the brand-new Harris County Texas, ESD 11 EMS Agency, who was presented with just this challenge.
When most RFPs for ambulance service delivery are awarded, the winning entity is usually a formed corporate body with staff employed to create a service to put in place using existing principles, practices, and processes. For Doug Hooten, he was the only man in the room with a blank piece of paper and the assurance of sufficient investment to complete the task. Harris County Commissioners have budgeted $29 million to put 28 ambulances on the street, thus creating a county operated EMS agency to replace the contracted incumbent, Cypress Creek Emergency Medical Services, whose contract expires in September, 2021.
Rob and Doug discuss the challenges of creating a service from the ground up, including real estate purchase and construction, the challenges of recruiting, and fleet purchasing.
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