A potential new ambulance service provider hasn’t been determined yet, but Jamestown officials are looking to reach an agreement.

In February, city officials requested proposals from ambulance service businesses to provide EMS service in Jamestown. There was a deadline in March for the proposals, but, with the COVID-19 pandemic, the request was extended.

Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist said city officials have been working with the ambulance service providers who submitted an application to finalize an agreement. Sundquist wouldn’t say how many proposals city officials received.

“There is no formalized agreement, yet,” Sundquist said. “We’re still working to get something in place. We recognize the call volume is starting to go up. We want to find a solution that will benefit all of the city’s residents.”

Sundquist said city officials are working with the applicants to finalize their proposals so the propositions meet the needs of the city.

“There are certain items that need to be negotiated before we reach an agreement,” he said.

Sundquist said city officials are hopeful that they will reach an agreement with a ambulance service provider for EMS service by Sept. 1.

In March, Sundquist indicated that ALSTAR EMS, which is operated by UPMC Chautauqua, has been involved in the RFP process and has been asking questions of city officials for a potential submission. In January, Sundquist announced that ALSTAR had notified the city that it would be ending its agreement for EMS services with the city at the beginning of April.

In January, Cecil Miller, UPMC Chautauqua vice president of operations, told The Post-Journal that UPMC canceled its EMS services agreement with the city because the contract was more than 20 years old. The previous agreement was signed in the mid-1990s.

In February, Sundquist announced that other EMS providers have indicated wanting to work with city officials on providing ambulance services. Sundquist said he could not comment on the names of the other companies that have shown interest.

It has been reported that ALSTAR EMS has been responding to fewer EMS calls in the city for more than a year. During Sundquist’s State of the City address in January, he said when ALSTAR first started in the city during the mid-1990s, the city’s fire department was only responding to around 50 calls for EMS service a year. He said last year, the fire department responded to more than 1,000 ambulance service calls.