FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO)  — Allen County officials have resolved a potential disruption in emergency medical dispatch (EMD) services after a public dispute with the Three Rivers Ambulance Authority (TRAA) over payments for calls outside Fort Wayne city limits.

Allen County Commissioner Ron Turpin, speaking on Fort Wayne’s Morning News with Kayla Blakeslee, explained the situation: “TRAA, for 40 years, has provided emergency and non-emergency transportation, as well as EMD services. When TRAA came to us and said, ‘well, county, you know, 400,000 would have been a good deal,’ … the numbers were all across the board. It didn’t make sense for taxpayers to foot the bill for something that had been provided for free.”

EMD services go beyond standard 911 calls by offering medical assistance and instructions, such as CPR guidance, while help is en route. Turpin reassured listeners that county residents’ safety was never at risk. “911 was never an issue here. We had the agreement signed with Heartland December 29th. No one, nothing was ever dropped. They went live on that day … the citizen never noticed it,” he said.

To resolve the dispute, the county partnered with local fire chiefs to contract with Heartland, a for-profit company providing EMD services at no cost, earning revenue from non-emergency transports. “Heartland obviously said there’s a profit thing here, because a for-profit company is willing to provide for free what TRAA has always provided for free, because that’s not where the money’s at,” Turpin told Blakeslee.

Turpin framed the move as part of a broader effort to manage taxpayer dollars responsibly while maintaining high-level service. “The government too often just says, ‘Oh, well, we got a bill, let’s pay it,’” he said. “We need to start thinking more like a business and being good stewards of taxpayer money while providing high-level service.”

Looking ahead, Turpin described the Heartland arrangement as a long-term solution. “Allen County is at the cutting edge of the whole fire district EMS service throughout the county,” he said on Morning News with Kayla Blakeslee. “This is one more puzzle piece to a long-term solution … to ensure that every person, when they have a need, that they get a quick response and that we get people taken care of as quickly as possible.”