Sioux Falls, SD (KELO-AM) The company that lost out on the ambulance contract for Sioux Falls says the people should decide who they want to use for non-emergency calls.
MED-Star, based in Brandon, is starting a petition drive to get the issue on the ballot before city voters. MED-Star CEO Jay Masur says this is not a question of sour grapes over not getting the city contract; it's a question of freedom of choice. Masur says he doesn't have a problem with Sioux Falls requiring residents to use one service for emergency calls, but non-emergency calls should be competitive.
MED-Star has 6 months to collect 6,000 signatures. In early February, Sioux Falls City Council awarded the lucrative ambulance contract to Texas-based Paramedics Plus.