More than a hundred EMT's, dispatchers, and clerical staff at Everett-based Rural/Metro ambulance will lose their jobs, effective July 31st.
The layoffs stem from American Medical Response's recent acquisition of Rural/Metro.
"As part of our integration plan, we are consolidating operations and eliminating redundancies in our Everett Rural/Metro operation," Mike Andrews, AMR Regional Director, said in a statement. "This change will impact 80 full-time and 25 part-time employees in Snohomish County and will include EMTs, dispatchers, and clerical staff."
Andrews also said impacted employees will have the opportunity to apply for open jobs within AMR, at locations across the country.
Rural/Metro employees say they were stunned when they heard the news.
"You get up to go to work everyday and you've been there for a lot of years, and then all of a sudden they say sorry, goodbye. That hurts. It's really hard," said Jim Cleary.
Cleary is a registered nurse in Rural/Metro's critical care transport division and has worked there for more than 15 years.
"They're telling us there are jobs available, but you have to start over, you have to reapply, go through an application process, and you may or may not be selected," he said. "
He says that would also mean longtime employees like him would lose their seniority within the company.
"It's very frustrating," he said. "I'd have to start over, at the bottom."
Cleary worries about how patient care will ultimately be impacted in Snohomish County.
"Well I think it's going to impact a little of the 911 system, until other companies are able to get up to speed," he said. "You know, you're going to have a vacuum there. "We're picking p patients out of the clinics, maybe they have a chest pain, are having a heart attack and have to go to the hospital. All of a sudden we aren't there and aren't doing those calls. It impacts other services."
AMR said all dispatch operations will now take place at the AMR regional communications center in Tukwila, but stressed that AMR will continue to provide the same level of service in Snohomish County without interruption.
As of July 31st, the company says all Snohomish County service will be provided under the AMR brand instead of Rural/Metro, but said there would be no gaps in coverage for 911 emergency or non-emergency service calls.
Rural/Metro Ambulance is just one of several ambulance companies that serve Snohomish County, so the area would not go uncovered.
KING 5 checked with the City of Everett and the Everett Fire Department, who said they don't expect the transition to impact response time to emergencies. In fact, on Wednesday night, Everett City Council was considering a contract that would make NW Ambulance the sole provider for basic life support calls, transporting patients to area hospitals.
"It's a very competitive market," said Cleary. "And now we're all floundering to find another job."
AMR will hold two town hall meetings at Rural/Metro headquarters in Everett to answer employee questions about the layoffs. The meetings are set for Thursday and Friday.
