DeKalb County leaders have approved a five-year, nearly $78 million contract with American Medical Response to expand ambulance coverage and continue reducing emergency response times.
DeKalb enters new ambulance contract
County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to move forward with the agreement, which has a maximum value of $77,773,900 based on performance metrics.
The county says the new contract will increase daily unit hours to 600 and add more ambulances across the system. Other upgrades include expanded response time compliance measures, a supplemental ambulance provider during peak hours, and continued growth of the Nurse Navigator and social services programs. The plan also adds whole blood capabilities for trauma cases, a third ambulance deployment center, and the use of AI analytics to improve unit posting and patient care.
Officials say a 2025 contract extension that included a $4.9 million subsidy has already increased ambulance availability. Average daily unit hours rose to 583 in the third quarter of 2025 compared to 456 in 2024, a 28 percent jump that has helped lower response times for all emergency call types.
DeKalb CEO wants ‘world-class emergency medical service’
CEO Nicole Cochran-Johnson said the deal builds on recent improvements in emergency care. “As we continue to reimagine how EMS is provided in DeKalb County, I am excited at the progress we have made and expect this contract will allow us to better serve our residents,” she said. “We will have a world-class emergency medical service.”
Fire Chief Darnell Fullum said the county is already seeing results from earlier investments. “I am excited about the positive outcomes we’ve achieved since the beginning of the year,” he said. “This contract is a roadmap for success.”
EMS audit in DeKalb County
The county hired Fitch and Associates in 2024 to review EMS operations. The assessment found the system was underfunded and recommended an investment of between $12.6 million and $16.5 million, depending on the design. The report called for long-term financial sustainability, faster hospital offload times, and better overall unit availability.
County officials say response times for critical calls, including heart attacks, are now 23 percent lower than during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and all major call types have seen their fastest response times since early 2020.
EMS response times over the years
DeKalb County has spent years working to improve ambulance response times after repeated concerns from residents and local city officials.
In 2024, Brookhaven leaders told FOX 5 Atlanta that the county’s EMS provider, American Medical Response, often failed to meet the 12-minute response standard for high-priority calls, with some emergencies waiting more than 20 minutes. Residents described waiting more than 25 minutes for ambulances during life-threatening situations, prompting Brookhaven’s mayor to prepare a request for its own ambulance zone through the Georgia Department of Public Health. County officials said they had already allocated about $3.8 million to hire additional EMTs and nurse practitioners, deploy five more ambulances and upgrade the 911 phone system.
Concerns predated those complaints. In 2018, DeKalb County reached an agreement with AMR after service issues and a viral video showing an EMT assaulting a patient. Under the agreement, AMR committed to increasing staffing in key areas and providing daily reports and monthly updates to county officials.
By mid-2025, the county reported measurable improvement. A June 2025 report showed ambulances were arriving almost three minutes faster on average than before February 2024. Officials credited the gains to recent investments, including the earlier $3.8 million expansion of county-based EMS staff and a $4.89 million subsidy to AMR to boost ambulance availability. Expanded programs such as the HEALS team and the Nurse Navigator system also aimed to reduce unnecessary 911 calls and improve the availability of units for critical emergencies.
