The city of Manitou Springs will begin using its own ambulance fleet this weekend in an effort to provide “significantly reduced” emergency response times for its residents, officials said Friday.

The city previously relied solely on El Paso County’s contracted ambulance service, American Medical Response, to respond from elsewhere in the county and then take patients back to hospitals, according to Manitou Springs Fire Department Chief John Forsett. That often led to response times over the 18-minute maximum outlined in the provider’s contract with the county, he said.

Manitou Springs looks to preserve past, make a sustainable future with new development code

The transition to the in-house Emergency Medical Services Transport Division, plus continued partnership with AMR, will bring that time down to just under 5½ minutes or less, Forsett said.

“Our relationship with AMR has been fantastic, and we expect it to be that way into the future” he said. “(A fast response) is difficult (when) you have that many ambulances on the street at one time to provide the entire county service in a timely manner.”

Global Medical Response, a Colorado-based company that includes AMR, confirmed Friday that its services will continue in the area.

“American Medical Response and Manitou Springs first responders have been good partners over the years, and AMR will continue to provide mutual aid to the community of Manitou Springs,” a spokesperson said.

Having an in-house crew, which is set to begin service at 8 a.m. Sunday, effectively eliminates “one leg of the trip,” according to Deputy Chief Keith Buckmiller. The division features one main ambulance, fitted with new medical technology and a six-member crew, and a backup ambulance that can be manned if necessary. Both are intended to serve Manitou Springs residents only.

“We have no aspirations of going anywhere more …,” Buckmiller said.

Buckmiller said AMR will still respond in Manitou Springs if the Fire Department’s main ambulance is busy, but that he hopes the local crew’s presence will free up other ambulances to respond elsewhere in the county.

“AMR will be tagged to (a second call for service), unless we have enough people to come together as volunteers and neighbors to staff up the other ambulance,” he said. “Then we can take that second call and keep AMR available for other calls.”

According to city spokesperson Alex Trefry, the Manitou Springs City Council first heard requests for the EMS division in May 2022, and approved capital funding for the two vehicles over the summer and funding for crew salaries and other department operations in December.

Overall, the EMS service will cost the city roughly $625,000 per year, Buckmiller said.

Pikes Peak Library District completes testing for meth residue at three busiest locations