Town ambulances will back up Chandler's new fire-run transport service, and police academy fees double

Queen Creek Fire and Medical ambulances will be on call to help Chandler when that city starts running its own emergency transports, under an agreement the Town Council approved unanimously Oct. 21.

The intergovernmental agreement lets the two departments share ambulances when call volume runs high, the Queen Creek Independent reported. Each side would bill patients for the transports it handles, and the town's staff report says the deal has no negative fiscal impact.

Chandler's switch

Chandler is preparing to take over emergency ambulance service from a private contractor. A resolution the Chandler City Council considered in June says that when the existing ambulance contract expires in January 2027, the Chandler Fire Department will be responsible for emergency transports in the city. The same resolution authorized Chandler's mayor to sign reciprocal backup agreements with neighboring providers.

The Independent reports Chandler plans to launch its fire-based service Jan. 1 and already has similar backup deals with Gilbert, Mesa and the Superstition Fire and Medical District.

Queen Creek made the same move a few years ago. The town received a state certificate of necessity in 2016 and launched its own ambulance service through Queen Creek Fire and Medical in July 2023, after years of contracting with American Medical Response, according to the Independent. Nearby San Tan Valley agreed this month to a contract with AMR for ambulance service.

Recruit training costs more

On the same consent agenda, the council approved an amendment to the town's agreement with the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office for training new officers. The non-refundable registration fee for each Queen Creek Police Department recruit at the sheriff's Sworn Basic Training Academy rises from $750 to $1,500, the first increase in five years, the Independent reported.

The amendment runs from July 1, 2026, through March 31, 2029.

Queen Creek police also send recruits to the Gilbert Regional Academy, which charges $2,500 per recruit but has limited seats for outside agencies, so the department cannot rely on Gilbert alone, according to the staff report cited by the paper. No new money was set aside; the higher fees will come out of the police department's current budget.

Sources

yourvalley.net

yourvalley.net

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