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In 1993, AMR purchased A-1 Paramedic Services, Inc., a company that began service in Colorado Spring more than 25 years ago.  The original organization was housed in a small storefront located at 2817 E. Platte Ave. Space was limited with the two ambulances - both 1979 Cayle Craft Type 3’s) parked behind the store.  Kits and monitors were brought in at night for safekeeping. The sleeping quarters were also in the back. Each ambulance was staffed with Paramedic/EMT crews who worked 24-hour shifts.

Prior to beginning the service in Colorado Springs, A-1 Paramedic Services owner, James R. Wood, operated A-1 Ambulance Service in Boulder and Longmont. The service was well-known and respected in Boulder County for having highly trained Paramedics and EMTs.  Because of that good reputation in, the decision was made to bring the Paramedic service to Colorado Springs.

At that time, Mountain Valley Ambulance was providing service with basic life support (BLS) personnel in the Colorado Springs area.

Calls for ambulance service came into the 911 Center housed in the basement of the police building.  Those calling for assistance would be routed to the respective fire agency and the 911 operator would then call the ambulance service on a rotation sheet be it A-1 or Mountain Valley.

This of course created problems, as the closest ambulance was not always sent to emergencies.    Dispatching for A-1 Paramedics was set up at their office on Platte.  It featured a small desk with one radio, two rotary type telephones, (emergency and non-emergency), a map book, and index cards for dispatch information to be recorded.  On the first day of service, A-1 handled no calls.  The second day proved to be much better with 20 calls for service.  The dispatcher on duty was assigned to answer both calls for service and the business line, and to review and log trip sheets.  During the night shift, the dispatcher would send out the bills from that day’s runs.

The four field personnel who worked the 24-hour shift start the day by checking equipment.  Lifepak 5’s were the newest units on the market and were considered to be top of the line.  Datascope was a larger, bulkier unit without removable batteries and to be plugged in at night for charging.  The medical kit was a Plano 747, with basic medications:  epi, atropine, D-50, bicarb, and lidocaine.  

Hospitals were not used to pre-hospital advanced life support (ALS) care and were often shocked and relieved to have patients arrive at the ER with established airways, IV, cardiac monitoring and a patient report.  ALS patient care was established in Colorado Springs.  Paramedics operating under A-1 Ambulance protocols from Boulder had to contact the ER to ask permission for everything (IV, medications, monitoring).  That changed when a Memorial Hospital Emergency Physician, Dr. Crews, accepted the position as the facility’s first medical advisor and established local baseline protocols.  Most ER doctors in the community accepted the A-1 Paramedics work.  Soon, A-1 Paramedics had a great local reputation.

In July, 1979, A-1 Paramedic’s moved to a two-story building at 2316 E. Platte Ave.  The three-bay garage had a dispatching area, billing office and sleeping quarters.  During the day shift, the billing person doubled as the dispatcher and answered phone calls for the entire operation.  With the move, also came a new phone number for ambulance service, 636-2333 the same phone number used today.

The process of having the closest ambulance respond to calls was established in 1980 when Central Ambulance Dispatch was established at Memorial Hospital.  In that same year, the Colorado Springs Fire Department started a paramedic squad when Rescue 3 and Rescue 8 were placed in service.  Members of CSFD rode with A-1 Paramedics during their preceptor time.  Nurses from Memorial Hospital would ride on the FD’s rescue unit as well.

As a well established local organization, A-1 Paramedics decided to sell their operation to American Medical Response in January 1993.

AMR was founded in 1992 through the consolidation of several well-established regional ambulance companies. AMR has since grown with more than 200 acquisitions.