UTSanDiego.com
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — The push by former Mayor Bob Filner to end the outsourcing of the city’s ambulance service and have it run by the Fire-Rescue Department has been shelved by interim Mayor Todd Gloria.
Gloria, who took over after Filner resigned Aug. 30 because of misconduct toward women, has proposed renewing the city’s current contract with Rural/Metro Corp. for an additional year and then putting a new five-year ambulance contract up for competitive bid. That request-for-proposals, however, wouldn’t allow city firefighters to submit a bid because top fire officials were heavily involved in creating the RFP.
Civic debate over who should own and operate the city’s ambulances began in 2011 when financial irregularities were discovered in San Diego Medical Services Enterprise, the public-private partnership the city created with Rural/Metro in 1997. That partnership was dissolved in favor of a more traditional outsourcing deal with Rural/Metro.
Full story: SD continues outsourcing ambulance service