All municipalities except the City of Bradford have settled with
Priority Care Ambulance Service, and owner Brian Gustafson said
he’ll proceed with litigation against the city if a solution isn’t
reached soon.

“Right now everybody other than the city have agreed that it’s
not an exclusive agreement,” Gustafson said of an ambulance service
agreement between the city fire department and Lewis Run Borough
and the townships of Foster, Lafayette, Bradford and Corydon.
“We’re actually operating in those municipalities.”

However, a last minute resolution brought up at Monday night’s
Bradford Township meeting by Cary Frigo, who later resigned his
position effective today, had called for the township to return to
using the city ambulance for primary coverage. Currently, the
township allows Priority Care and the city to each respond to every
other call where a preferred carrier is not specified.

Frigo’s resolution was ultimately withdrawn.

On Tuesday, Gustafson said of the township’s status, “Right now,
they withdrew that resolution, so I would say they are in the clear
at the moment.”

Had they rescinded Priority Care’s ability to operate in the
township, Gustafson said the township would be sued.

“Our resolve is pretty solid. We’re not going to screw around
with them,” he added.

Meanwhile, negotiations have been continuing with the city.

Gustafson said that Mark Hollenbeck, city solicitor, has been in
contact with Priority Care’s attorney, Carl Hittinger, to make “a
couple proposals,” but nothing has been settled yet.

When contacted Tuesday night, Hollenbeck would not comment on
any negotiations, as litigation remains a possibility in the
matter.

“If something doesn’t break in the next week or so we’ll
probably end up filing on the city,” Gustafson said.

Gustafson has said his intentions are to file suit against the
city and against Fire Chief Bill McCormack in federal court for
antitrust and unfair competition. Gustafson alleges that the city,
through McCormack, set out to destroy his business after he
purchased McCormack’s private ambulance service last year.

About the middle of last year, representatives from the city –
McCormack and Mayor Michele Corignani – went to the various
municipalities saying the city needed financial backing for the
city’s ambulance service. The municipalities entered into ambulance
service agreements with the city where each municipality would pay
an agreed upon amount and the city would provide ambulance
service.

Gustafson alleges those agreements were made to block private
ambulance services from operating in those areas.

Gustafson explained Monday the issues remaining are whether
Priority Care can operate in the City of Bradford and on what
terms, as well as how the service agreements were attained.

“The only issues there now are what (McCormack) actually did
when he went out and secured those agreements,” Gustafson said,
declining to give further details on allegations against the fire
chief. He said that when and if he files suit in the matter, the
details would be brought out then.

There is a draft of the proposed suit that has been sent to all
the municipalities involved, Gustafson said, adding city officials
are aware of the allegations he is referring to.

“We wanted to give the city ample opportunity to settle the
situation without filing the lawsuit,” he said.

“I’d like to have something happen by the end of the month one
way or another,” Gustafson said. “I don’t want them to think it’s
just going to go away. It certainly isn’t the case.”