ELYRIA, Ohio – Elyria could pocket more than a million dollars annually by ditching its private ambulance contractor and launching its own fire-based emergency medical service, according to a new feasibility study that has city leaders weighing a major operational shift before their current contract with LifeCare Ambulance Inc. expires.

The study, presented to council by consulting partner Steven Knight of Fitch and Associates, found that a municipal ambulance service could be both sustainable and lucrative for the city.

“If the city does want to move through and entertain having a fire-based municipal run EMS program, there’s no question in our assessment that they could do so and it could be fiscally and operationally sustainable,” Knight said.

The study noted that the fire department

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