Gold Cross Ambulance crosses into Arizona without authority, agencies say

Gold Cross Ambulance crosses into Arizona without authority, agencies say

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ST. GEORGE — A Utah-based ambulance company has been responding to emergency medical calls in the Beaver Dam and Littlefield, Arizona, region without a license, interlocal agreement or agency request for assistance, competing with the agency licensed for those areas and depriving it of revenue.

More importantly, it’s illegal, said Fire Chief Jeff Hunt of Beaver Dam/Littlefield Fire District, whose licensed jurisdiction covers Beaver Dam and Littlefield, Arizona.

This issue first came to the attention of St. George News in November 2016 during a rollover incident response on Interstate 15. Beaver Dam/Littlefield Fire and Rescue ambulance out of the department’s Station 1 in Arizona responded to the crash to transport patients. When it arrived, however, the injured parties were no longer at the scene. The responders found that patients had already been transported to Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George by Gold Cross Ambulance out of St. George.

Further investigation into the situation revealed that this was not the first time Gold Cross responded to initiate treatment and transport in another agency’s jurisdiction without an agreement, Hunt said. As a matter of fact, he said, it is standard practice for Gold Cross to enter Beaver Dam/Littlefield’s territory without permission or the legal authority to do so and has been for the last three years.

Under Arizona law, any individual or entity operating an ambulance cannot enter the state to render emergency medical care or transport patients unless they are licensed in Arizona as outlined by statute.

To read the full story, visit St. George News.

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