Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich was at the Harrison County Board of Supervisors meeting Monday to hear a report from AMR, the ambulance company whose response times in Biloxi for July averaged 25 minutes and in some cases, there was no response to calls.
AMR representatives, who are under exclusive contract with Harrison County to provide ambulance service, pointed to the pandemic, which has caused staffing shortages and hours-long delays in dropping off patients at crowded hospitals.
“The average response time for July is 25 minutes,” Gilich said during the meeting. “We’ve got to figure out a solution.”
Biloxi Police said AMR was called 964 times in July; the Biloxi Fire Department reported a dozen instances where AMR failed to respond. The Police Department noted three dozen instances where the response was 30 minutes or more, including two emergency responses that took more than an hour.
AMR leaders said the company planned to hire 13 new first-responders and would continue recruitment efforts. The new workers are expected to be on hand in two to four weeks, AMR said.
Video: AMR discussion from Monday’s Harrison County Board of Supervisors meeting
