Kingfisher’s recently-added supplemental ambulance service is up and running, providing interfacility transfers from Mercy Hospital Kingfisher to Oklahoma City hospitals, as well as any assistance requested by Kingfisher Fire Department.

Medford-based Miller EMS, which also operates as Cashion’s primary ambulance service, is currently sending ambulances from Cashion to Kingfisher as needed while completing the state licensing process to allow the service to set up a local base of operations, founder Matt Miller said.

The private ambulance service has entered agreements with both the city of Kingfisher and Mercy Hospital to operate locally and the required state license is its last hurdle before setting up shop at a temporary location, Miller said.

“We’re currently working with a developer to build a permanent facility on the hospital grounds between the two medical clinics,” he said. “We should have that completed in 120 days, conservatively. We’re hoping maybe as soon as 90 days.”

The new building will have one bay large enough to house two ambulances.

Kingfisher Fire Chief Tony Stewart and City Manager Dave Slezickey began negotiating with Miller EMS to cover nonemergency hospital transfers from one facility to another when the growing volume of both emergency and nonemergency calls were overwhelming existing fire department staff.

“We reached out to them when the number of nonemergency interfacility transfer requests was becoming more than we could handle while still fulfilling our primary mission of providing fire and ambulance emergency services to the city of Kingfisher and our 522 ambulance district,” Stewart said.

“Having Miller here is allowing us to focus on emergency calls, which show no signs of slacking off,” he said.

Miller will provide the service at no charge to either the city or the hospital, covering its expenses through direct billing of patients and their insurance companies.

“But we’ll provide transportation whenever requested, regardless of a patient’s ability to pay,” Jim Koch, Miller’s director of business development, said.

Miller has been serving the city of Owasso in exactly the same arrangement – as a complement to the existing fire department/EMS – for more than nine years.

“It’s worked well there,” Koch said. “We expect it to work well here, also.”

In addition to Cashion, Miller provides primary emergency ambulance services to Medford, Fairfax, Barnsdall and Crescent and is working to add more communities.

Matt Miller started the private ambulance company 13 years ago at age 23.

Licensed as a critical care emergency medical service, all Miller ambulances run with paramedics on board, Koch said. (Miller and Koch are themselves licensed paramedics.)

Four of the five paramedics already hired to work in Kingfisher completed a local orientation last week.

“We reviewed our company policies and protocol and then did some hands-on, scenario-based training,” Miller said. “That gave us a chance to see where their skill levels currently are and gave them a chance to see exactly what we expect of them.”

In addition, the company is actively recruiting full- and part-time paramedics to work in the Kingfisher base, Koch said.

Besides the ability to provide critical care on any of its own transfers, whether emergency or nonemergency, Miller also will make its paramedics available to the fire department, if needed.

“If an emergency arises at a time when the fire department does not have a paramedic available, they can use ours,” Koch said.

Miller EMS also will provide mutual aid on emergency runs as requested by the fire department, as well as serve as a stand-by service to answer 911 ambulance calls when fire department personnel are tied up at a fire scene, Koch said.

Miller personnel also look forward to meeting people in the community and the company will be hosting an open house at its new permanent facility when completed.

“We’re very community oriented and we’re also not here to step on anyone’s toes,” Miller said. “This is a hybrid relationship that you don’t see a whole lot, but we know from experience that it can work.

“We’re here to work with the fire department and complement the service they are already providing the city.”

Stewart reminded residents that 911 is still the number to call for both emergency and nonemergency ambulance requests.

“For fastest service, don’t call Miller directly or our nonemergency line,” Stewart said. “If we’re already out on a call, you won’t be able to reach us that way.”