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Next month, D.C. Fire and EMS will begin using private ambulances, a FEMS spokesperson told WTOP. The temporary contract will begin in 30 days with American Medical Response, WTOP reported yesterday.

The company has placed an ad for emergency medical technicians for D.C. 911 operations, event standbys, and IFT operations. These employees will respond to emergency and non-emergency calls and deliver patient care and customer service, according to the hiring post.

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 resigned last week, 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, Jullette Saussy continued, is the lack of commitment to EMS and the “lack of focus and attention to high quality prehospital emergency care at the DC Fire Department.”