 |
Contact: Mike Reynolds
(310) 851-7026
mike_reynolds@amr-ems.com
AMR Crew Aids Police in Capture, Arrest of Suspected Arsonist, Kidnapper
LOS ANGELES, CA, February,
2004–An American Medical Response (AMR) crew, posted at the corner of Alondra and the 605 Freeway in Cerritos , made possible the capture of a man who had allegedly kidnapped a girl in Brea and set several fires at a nursing home facility in Cerritos .
Apparently, after the nursing home fire started, the accused man approached an AMR ambulance crew with the girl. The AMR crew was situated near the nursing home facility. Based upon statements made by the accused man the AMR crew immediately called the AMR communication center that was at that time dispatching units to a fire at a nearby convalescent hospital. The alert dispatcher saw a connection between the information provided by the AMR crew and the fire, and immediately called law enforcement, and directed the attending police to the man accused of arson and kidnapping.
"We are very proud of our AMR attendants who witnessed an unusual event and immediately took action by alerting and helping our public safety officers through our Communication Center ," said David Mintz, AMR Chief Executive Officer. "Because AMR services the entire Southern California region with almost 500 ambulances every day, our professionals often serve as the frontline of public safety across city and county borders - not only responding within minutes to life-threatening situations but also, as this case points out, helping to save a kidnapped girl."
American Medical Response professionals support LA County Fire paramedics with countywide 911 transportation and AMR ambulances are routinely posted at key intersections in cities and communities throughout the County. Because of AMR's coverage and size, accredited communications structure and command center, it also has formal partnerships with law enforcement.
One example is AMR's statewide Amber Alert partnership with the CHP. In Southern California alone, there are 1,500 AMR EMTs and paramedics on the streets and freeways day and night, connected by radio, computer and pager to the communications center. Within minutes, AMR professionals can be on site to any kind of emergency anywhere in the southland - from abductions and fires to regional disasters and catastrophes.
American Medical Response, Inc. ( www.amr.net ), the nation's largest provider of medical transportation, has operations in 32 states. Locally, AMR is Akron 's only contracted private ambulance provider supporting the Akron Fire Department's EMS system. More than 18,000 AMR paramedics, EMTs and other professionals transport over four million patients nationwide each year in emergency, critical and non-emergency situations. AMR, a wholly owned subsidiary of Laidlaw Inc., is headquartered in Greenwood Village , CO .
###
|
|
