Officials at Southwest Ambulance, based in Mesa, Ariz., say they will provide a faster, better response to patients - but with employees who will have less training than Gold Cross crews.

The new provider beat Gold Cross in a competitive-bid process and will start offering 911 service on April 3. The four-year contract, with the possibility of extensions, is worth around $6 million a year in gross revenue, though taxpayers won't pay anything. As is the case now, patients will pay the fees.

Gold Cross will continue providing emergency transportation to capital residents until the spring. It also will continue to provide private, nonemergency transportation after its city contract is up.

Careful not to criticize Gold Cross, fire department spokesman Scott Freitag said Wednesday Southwest was chosen because it better met the department's needs: There will be 14 Southwest ambulances dedicated to - and stationed in - Salt Lake City, while Gold Cross's 50 are used throughout the Salt Lake Valley.

The fire department will dispatch the ambulances, while Gold Cross has its own dispatcher. And Southwest employees will train with firefighters and will be assigned to specific fire crews.

"The level of care is truly going to increase," said Michael Shabkie, Southwest vice president, at a news conference to show off one of the company's ambulances that will be used in Salt Lake City, painted red to match the capital's fire engines.

"You'll have that continuity of care. That really is a significant improvement."

Gold Cross Vice President Mike Moffitt disagrees.

He said he was surprised - even "astounded" - to lose the bid, believing his company met or exceeded the fire department's requests, including on response times. Noting Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson's stated commitment to local companies, Moffitt wondered why the city would choose an out-of-state company over a Salt Lake City one.

And he said his $2,000 campaign contribution to Anderson's opponent in the 2003 election may have played a role.

Anderson, who wasn't on the selection committee, denied the charge, calling it an "incredibly reckless, irresponsible claim. Somebody should ask what Mr. Moffitt expects to get when he makes contributions to candidates."

Gold Cross and its attorney are weighing options regarding losing the bid.

"We've been providing exemplary service since 1971. I'll put my track record up against anybody's," Moffitt said. "The level of service provided [by Southwest] will be lower."

Gold Cross employees are licensed to provide an intermediate level of advanced life support. But Salt Lake City wants its new provider to provide basic life support instead, because its firefighters will also be on scene and they have the highest level of training as paramedics.

The state Department of Health OK'd Salt Lake City's plan to use EMTs with basic training.

Those EMTs can, among other things, provide oxygen, use defibrillators and administer CPR.

Those with intermediate licenses can do that, plus offer some respiratory and cardiac drugs.

Gold Cross' Moffitt claims ambulances arrive at the scene before paramedics do 50 percent of the time - a figure disputed by the fire department - and, he says, sometimes patients require more-advanced care right away.

"If your child has an allergy to bee stings and they get stung by a bee and the ambulance this summer that is basic EMT-staffed and your child's in anaphylactic shock, they're going to have to wait for the fire truck to come in, whenever that will be," Moffitt said.

Hard numbers weren't available, but Freitag estimated paramedics arrive on scene first "90 percent or more of the time" so that patients only need basic care from ambulance crews. He said patients will save money under Southwest because they won't be charged for Gold Cross's intermediate care.

"Out of 20,000 runs a year, if that [ambulance arriving first and intermediate care was necessary] were to happen, it would happen a handful of times," Freitag said.

Southwest provides 911 service to about 30 cities in Arizona and New Mexico, according to its Web site. EMS Magazine named it the National Private Ambulance Provider of the Year in 2003.

Salt Lake City is Southwest's first Utah contract, but it may not be its last. Gold Cross is losing its lock on emergency ambulance service - it recently lost a lawsuit against West Valley City when that city awarded its ambulance contract to its fire department.

And Salt Lake County's United Fire Authority board may soon seek competitive bids for its ambulance services.

Salt Lake City Councilman Carlton Christensen, who met with Southwest representatives this week, said he is a "little bit anxious" about the switch because ambulance service is such a critical function of the city.

"I'm fairly confident the fire department did enough due diligence that the provider is capable. The proof will come the first week they respond to calls."

hmay@sltrib.com

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Tribune researcher Becky Hodges contributed to this story.