BY ANNIE HOLLER
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — Communities across Eastern Kentucky that feared losing reliable ambulance service after Patriot EMS abruptly ceased operations at multiple locations received reassurance Monday. Rapid Emergency Management LLC (REM) announced its takeover of the company’s operations in several counties.
The transition came after weeks of uncertainty following Patriot EMS’s closure of multiple locations and layoffs affecting a significant number of employees.
Ramiro Mendoza, interim director of operations for REM in Ohio and Kentucky locations previously served by Patriot EMS, said the company began operating ambulance services in Martin, Lawrence and Boyd counties at 8 a.m. Monday, along with several locations in southern Ohio.
“We want the public to know there were zero interruptions of service on Monday in the locations we now operate,” Mendoza said. “It was a smooth transition. It’s business as usual, although in the near future you will start to see ambulances bearing the Rapid Emergency Management logo, with the employees’ uniforms changing as well. We want you to know who is responding to your call.”
Mendoza said REM provides ambulance and medical response services across the United States. The company’s corporate office is in Oregon with secondary headquarters in Indiana and Alaska.
“We are a national leader in emergency medical services, as well as disaster response and remote medical care,” he said. “Regarding ambulance and medical transport, we provide both basic life services (BLS) and critical care (ALS), and reliable local and long-distance transport for transfers, repatriation, and emergency evacuation services.”
While REM has already assumed operations in Martin, Lawrence and Boyd counties, Mendoza said the company hopes to expand further into Eastern Kentucky. Magoffin, Floyd and Mingo counties were also affected by Patriot EMS’s withdrawal.
“Our plan is to grow operations and continue expanding over time,” Mendoza said. “We will consider servicing those locations.”
REM has retained employees who remained on staff with Patriot EMS and hopes to bring back additional workers who were recently laid off.
“Our priorities are maintaining uninterrupted patient care and creating stability for the employees who make this service possible,” Mendoza said.
He emphasized that REM is not owned by private equity investors.
“Our leadership team has spent many years in the EMS industry operating ambulance and medical response teams across this country,” Mendoza said. “We are not a private equity firm; we invest our own capital. Our focus has always been on building strong EMS services that provide a positive working environment, reliable equipment and opportunities for professional growth for our teams.”
In a letter issued to current Patriot EMS employees and more than 50 workers who were recently laid off, REM management addressed unpaid payroll obligations, saying it would assist Patriot EMS in ensuring employees receive any wages owed to them.
The letter also noted opportunities for employees interested in growing with the company, including emergency deployment assignments. Mendoza said REM is the largest ambulance provider supporting wildfire operations in the United States and is also a major contractor for hurricane response, often deploying 25 or more ambulances at a time.
Members of the REM leadership team plan to visit the counties they now serve in Eastern Kentucky over the coming weeks to meet employees and evaluate local stations and equipment. The company will also study response patterns and community needs in each county.
“We are committed to offering a high level of care to the public, and we will accept nothing less,” Mendoza said. “Our company’s reputation and credibility are second to none, and we will continue to expand, grow and improve on all levels of emergency care.”