At its regular meeting on April 9, the Carroll County Board of Commissioners (BOC) approved adding a seventh 24-hour 911 ambulance to the county’s EMS contract with West Georgia Ambulance.
The Carroll County EMS Committee first recommended to the BOC in January 2024 that an ambulance be added. The committee made its recommendation “after careful review of increased call volume for all West Georgia Ambulance Service units and the increased fatigue experienced by EMS staff working 24-hour shifts.”
West Georgia Ambulance and Tanner Health officials made a detailed presentation to the BOC at its March meeting, sharing historical call volume trends, a 911 call volume county comparison, Carroll County’s EMS call demand by area, Tanner’s investment since acquiring the 911 ambulance service and a proposed budget for the funding request.
“West Georgia Ambulance had a 911 call volume of 18,669 calls in 2023,” said Gary L. Thomas, vice president of campus and support services for Tanner. “The 2024 call volume is expected to increase to approximately 19,468 calls. That puts us right at the 2023 volume of Coweta EMS — which has nine ambulances to serve a 2023 population of 149,004 — compared to Carroll County’s 2023 population of 121,734.”
Per the presentation, a seventh ambulance will reduce the average number of calls per day for each unit from 8.6 to around 7.6, helping to reduce crew fatigue during 24-hour shifts.
“Carroll County’s expected population growth will soon mean even more calls per day for each unit,” said Carroll County EMS Committee Chairperson Felicia Rowland. “Plus, of the counties compared to Carroll in the presentation — Bartow, Coweta, Douglas, Haralson, Heard and Paulding — Carroll County has the largest land area for the ambulances to cover at 504 square miles.”
Under the approved revised contract, West Georgia Ambulance will now provide seven ambulances to respond to 911 calls 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. These ambulances currently operate out of six regional EMS stations — Bowdon, Clem, north Carrollton, south Carrollton, Temple and Villa Rica — ensuring a timely response to emergency calls. The new ambulance will temporarily be stationed in the Villa Rica station, with a final permanent location of the Sandhill area once a new station is constructed.
About West Georgia Ambulance
Established in 1977 by Steve Adams, West Georgia Ambulance employs more than 60 people, including 27 full-time paramedics and 20 full-time emergency medical technicians (EMTs). Other staff work in support services, including fleet maintenance and billing. The company also employs several part-time paramedics and EMTs.
Tanner acquired the ambulance service in September 2022.
West Georgia Ambulance holds the sole 911 EMS Zone License for Carroll County — a special, perpetual license issued by the Georgia Department of Public Health’s Regional EMS Advisory Council — through 2028.
In addition, West Georgia Ambulance provides patient transport services between Tanner’s facilities and for Willowbrooke at Tanner. The company also services Tanner’s Paramedic Home Visit program, following up on Tanner patients at their home within 24 hours of discharge to ensure they’re doing well and have all they need for a healthy recovery.
More at WestGeorgiaAmbulance.org.
