Columbia County Observer

Columbia Cnty EMS – Part V: Years To Come Up With a Plan – Now It's an Emergency

June 24, 2026 1:03 pm | 6 min read | Part I • Part II • Part III • Part IV • Part V
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Photo: Jon LCE (ambulance) via Unsplash | Columbia County Observer graphic

By Stew Lilker

COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – County EMS ambulance service again took center stage at the Columbia County 5 during last week’s meeting of the County Commission. (“The 5” or the “County 5). With no plan, Commissioner Rocky Ford wanted to purchase three ambulances, while County Chairman Tim Murphy pushed back on moving too quickly without a sustainable funding plan.

The proposed MSTUs (Municipal Service Taxing Units) to fund the Sheriff’s Office and EMS have, for now, gone the way of the dodo bird, as has any kind of advanced County planning.

County Chairman Tim Murphy tried to get The 5 to follow its rules of decorum. He was moderately successfull. For the Columbia County 5 – blurting out is hard not to do.

After almost an hour of sometimes heated discussion, The 5 directed staff to return at the next board meeting with a plan to ask the Lake Shore Hospital Authority to acquire three ambulances – units intended to give residents in the far northern and southern reaches of the county faster access to emergency care. The County Manager claimed the folks on the outskirts are indigent.

The motion, made by Commissioner Kevin Parnell, passed unanimously. However, Chairman Murphy advised the County staff, “If you don't think it's possible to get accurate information – we'll deal with it at that time.”

Too few trucks, too much geography

Chairman Murphy opened the EMS discussion. A public hearing for the EMS MSTU was on the agenda. Mr. Murphy scrapped the hearing and opened the discussion at the request of Commissioner Ford, who has pushed the board to set aside money for additional ambulances.

Mr. Murphy invited AmeriPro’s representatives to update the County 5, “Would you like to come up and address us, please, because I know we asked for y'all to be here, and thank you for coming. While y'all are walkin’, I get to read your letter, because I didn’t have a chance to read it earlier.”

Jeff Avinger, AmeriPro's director of Florida Operations.

Jeff Avinger, the company's director of operations, said staffing has improved since the last meeting. "Last time we spoke, we talked about truck count. At that time, we were at four and a half trucks consistently," Mr. Avinger said. "Since that meeting, we've increased to now we are seven at peak load, five and a half around the clock." He added that the company has hired all of its paramedics and EMTs, is backfilling supervisors, and is reviewing a lease for a final station to "close the geographical gap."

County Manager David Kraus clarified that officials had met with AmeriPro and the Suwannee Valley Regional Economic Development Commission [sic – Council] about relocating crews from a trailer on Clinton Street to Five Points Elementary School, and renovating a trailer on Quinton Street — adding a shower and life-safety upgrades — for ambulance use.

Where do the trucks go? Or – do you keep ambulances close to a demonstrated need?

The placement question quickly exposed a tug-of-war. District 1 Commissioner Kevin Parnell pressed for a northern site near Mershon Road and above I-10, arguing it would speed response to the county's northern end. "That would help the constituents at the North End of the County," he said, asking staff to evaluate the location before any final decision.

Thomas Stinson, AmeriPro's operating supervisor for Columbia County and a County resident, defended the Quinton Street location (south of I-10 and closer to Lake City). He said placing a unit too far north would deplete coverage and delay returns toward the hospital and the more populous south. The area from Mershon north, he said, "presented less than 1% of the calls for last year."

Mr. Stinson stressed he was not dismissing those emergencies — Fire Station 42, an Advanced Life Support asset, also covers that area — but argued a central location lets crews "service all areas as quickly as we can."

Mr. Stinson said he could provide a heat map of calls, but no one other than Commissioner Hollingsworth asked for a copy.

Mr. Stinson confirmed all county-deployed ambulances are Advanced Life Support (ALS), paramedic-level units.

Compliance numbers — and "level zero"

Pressed by Commissioner Ford on whether AmeriPro is meeting its required response times, Mr. Stinson said that since adding a truck, performance had reached roughly 86% in urban areas and 71% rural — up from about 75% urban and around 70% rural before the changes.

Mr. Avinger was blunt, "We're solving for the geography, because we're very well aware of it at 70%, and we got to get that to 90."

Thomas Stinson (left), AperiPro's Columbia County Operations chief, and Thomas McEntee, AmeriPro's former Principal Advisor and currently Chief Administrative Officer.

Chief Business Officer Thomas McEntee was honest about the strain on the system. Over an eight-day study period, the system hit "level zero" — no available ambulances — ten times, with six of those occurring on June 1 alone, a day with 65 calls when "everyone was just overwhelmed." On three occasions, the company pressed an interfacility ambulance into service, and some calls were held.

County Attorney Joel Foreman said AmeriPro exceeded minimum units "because they know they're not making times."

Commissioner Ford asked whether AmeriPro would add another full-time ambulance even if it still missed times. Mr. McEntee said, “We're going to get to compliance, that's the contract.” Commissioner Hollingsworth added that AmeriPro must meet its contract.

The Lake Shore Hospital Authority has squandered millions under the direction of Executive Director and political operative Dale Williams. It is now comtemplating another questionable million dollar plus giveaway. Here Mr. Williams is addressing Fire Chief Crawford (left) and Assistant Chief Lance Hill.

A questionable path to free ambulances:
The mostly defunct and illegally constituted LSHA

The County is hoping that the path to the three new ambulances runs through the Lake Shore Hospital Authority. Whether or not the Authority donates ambulances to the County depends on a County-developed plan, a legal opinion by the Authority’s crack attorney, Todd Kennon, who continues to ignore the fact that the LSHA is operating outside of its charter, and a vote by Governor DeSantis’ Authority board to approve the illegal donation.

If the LSHA deal goes through, it could possibly impact the arrangement between AmeriPro and the County. AmeriPro’s McEntee warned that AmeriPro's subsidy model depends on transport revenue: "If we lose a lot of transport volume for whatever reason, then... that changes the economics of the model."

Commissioner Murphy asked, “The idea that we're trying to work with is on our side of possibly putting units in the north and the south end, y'all are not opposed to that?

"Materially, no," Mr. McEntee said, describing a "last call unit" arrangement common in other contracts. "You want to develop a reliable solution... that benefits everyone, we’ll gladly cooperate."

The real fight:
shore up a contract, or transition the county into EMS?

Fire Chief Jeff Crawford forced the EMS fight into the open. He said he has had a "100% budget" ready for months and challenged The 5 to clarify its intent.

"If Mr. Parnell is right, and that the board's opinion is that three years from now, we, Columbia County, will be running EMS in-house, then this plan is what you need to do now," Crawford said. "You need to buy the ambulances, you need to step into the business, and you need to slowly build it up." He warned, buying ambulances merely to "shore up" AmeriPro's contract "is a wrong idea."

Fire Chief Jeff Crawford addressed the County 5. He offered them a budget that no one wanted. When your reporter asked him for a copy of that budget, the Chief wouldn't provide it.

Chief Crawford threw cold water on a hybrid model using firefighters to staff ambulances, saying neighboring Suwannee County abandoned it as call volume rose. "Our call volumes are not low," he said. "It's not easy to do something like that."

Chief Crawford said if the Hospital Authority buys the ambulances, the County could operate on roughly 2.25 million the first year, with costs likely dropping in year two as billing revenue comes in. If the County bought three ambulances itself, he figured around 3.8 million.

County Attorney Foreman asked, "Are you adding ambulances to shore up their contract, or are you adding ambulances... in the interest of public safety?"

Commissioner Ford answered, “I'm adding ambulances. I'm just like Mr. Parnell — in 2029, I think the County needs to be back in the ambulance business.” “That is the only way us commissioners and the staff have control over the ambulances."

Attorney Foreman weighed in again, giving a non-legal opinion, urging flexibility. The goal, he said, is to "expand our options... having some stake in the service. Right now, you have no stake; you've got a contract, that's it."

Commissioners Murphy and Ford
A heated exchange over cost

There was a sharp back-and-forth between Com. Murphy and Com. Ford.

Com. Ford wanted immediate action.

Commissioner Ford insisted the County act immediately, "I can't justify to my people why we have five and a half ambulances in the south of the County," he said, adding, "Whatever it is, it is. We've got to do it. We got an obligation to our constituents."

Commissioner Murphy pressed him: "Let's go ahead and buy the ambulances, regardless what the cost of the taxpayer is going to be... Is that what you're sayin'?"

Commissioner Ford replied, "I am" — though he later walked it back a bit: "I'm confident we can do a better job with less money."

Commissioner Murphy urged caution and a multi-year plan. He floated a longer-term idea: recruiting Shands Teaching Hospital to build a 24-hour emergency center in the county. Com. Ford dismissed it as too distant to help now: "You're talking about 10-15 years down the road... that's not helping the situation we have right now."

County Manager Kraus brought up indigent care, without any statistics: "It's helping an indigent population that lives remotely... that was the whole reason we started down this path." Chief Crawford agreed the aim was to "enhance the service," with AmeriPro still "liable for everything in their contract."

The decision and what comes next:
Years to come up with a plan – now it is an emergency.

Commissioner Kevin Parnell has relatives that live in the ultra rural north end of the County.

Com. Parnell moved that staff return at the next board meeting — in two weeks — with a plan for the Lake Shore Hospital Authority to order three ambulances, positioning one north, one south, and one as backup.

Com. Ford asked that the motion also allow the county to buy the units itself if the Authority does not. Com. Murphy confirmed the board is also eyeing about $1.6 million to earmark in the upcoming budget season.

County Manager Kraus flagged the tight timeline — the plan must be posted ahead of the July 2 meeting — but pledged, "We will work very hard to meet that," and to report back if it isn't ready.

The motion carried unanimously.

Epilogue – The Columbia County 5: Still undecided – Without tools to make competent decisions

The 5’s larger question — how and whether Columbia County reclaims its EMS service when AmeriPro's contract expires in 2029 — remains unresolved, a "bridge," as Com. Parnell put it, "We'll cross when we get there."

The one constant throughout this whole confused 2010-2026 EMS fandango: all members of the Columbia County 5, no matter what the year, graduated from the Columbia County’s continuing failing school district.