American Medical Response

American Medical Response, Inc. (AMR) is the largest private ambulance provider in the United States. AMR and EmCare are wholly owned subsidiaries of EMSC L.P., an emergency management company held by the investment firm Onex. AMR is based out of Greenwood Village, Colorado.

AMR is locally operated in 36 states and the District of Columbia. More than 18,000 AMR paramedics, EMTs and other professionals, with a fleet of 4,400 vehicles, transport nearly four million patients nationwide each year in critical, emergency and non-emergency situations.

Outside the urban cores of the largest cities, AMR often has a de facto monopoly in many suburban and rural areas (e.g., Silicon Valley). The colorful and distinctive livery of its vehicles is synonymous in those regions with "ambulance."

In 2006 AMR Colorado Springs,CO (El Paso County) was awarded Ambulance Service of the Year by the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians. This marked the first time ever a private service had earned this distinguishment as the Colorado Springs operation was chosen over 17,000 other ambulance services for the prestigious award.

Loss of Richmond, Virginia Contract
AMR has, for the last 11 years, been the sole contractor to the Richmond Ambulance Authority, the managing agency of the Richmond, VA Public Utility Model EMS system. This contract is considered by many to be AMR's flagship operation, as the RAA has been internationally recognized as a leader in Emergency Medical Services, as has served as a model system for many jurisdictions.

On October 12, 2007, RAA's executive director, Jerry Overton, announced that the Board of Directors unanimously voted to withdraw AMR's contract to provide EMS services to the city. The contract, worth more than $9 million annually, was to have continued until July, 2011. The action came amidst media coverage of AMR's inability to meet contract demands, as well as the theft of more than $20,000 in fuel cards by a former AMR employee.

According to a Richmond Times-Dispatch report, AMR had been non-compliant with contractual obligations for 6 of the previous 7 months. The transition from AMR to RAA control is scheduled to take place November 18th, 2007.