A fleet of private ambulances is hitting the streets today to help D.C. Fire and EMS during medical emergencies. The city contracted American Medical Response last month to transport patients whose injuries or illnesses aren’t time sensitive or life-threatening.

“These additional resources from AMR are an important step to a broader plan by the Bowser Administration to help strengthen our emergency medical services,” DC FEMS Chief Gregory Dean said in a release. “The goal is for our members to receive more training, better maintain our vehicles and preserve our resources for life threatening calls. These steps will help reinforce and improve our provision of patient care.”

The company will operate 29 private ambulances using up to 25 of those units everyday during high-call volume periods from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m., according to the release.

A report released last summer showed that on July 31, the average ambulance response time around 4 p.m. stretched beyond 17 minutes. By 5 p.m., the average number of ambulances on the road was fewer than 1. The dismal numbers bolstered Mayor Bowser’s argument that using private ambulances for some calls is a necessary step to remedying the problem.

However, when FEM’s medical director, Jullette Saussy, resigned last month, she said this particular plan is “as unlikely to fix the situation as as placing a Band Aid on a gushing artery.” The real problem, she said, is the lack of commitment to EMS and the “lack of focus and attention to high quality pre-hospital emergency care at the DC Fire Department.”

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