Press Release:
Bartow County has chosen to partner with Metro Atlanta Ambulance Service, a privately owned company
headquartered in Marietta, GA.
 Metro Atlanta Ambulance provided ambulance transfers for Bartow County residents as a contract ambulance
provider for Cartersville Medical Center since 2008. Since that time, Metro Atlanta Ambulance staff have been
attending monthly EMS meeting with the hospital emergency services team and attended meetings with
hospital administration, specialty physicians and nurses. MetroAtlanta is already familiar with established
pathways for patients requiring emergency care, stroke, cardiac, trauma and other specialized care making for
a seamless transition.
 MetroAtlanta Ambulance participates in the Paul Coverdale National Acute Stroke Registry program for
Stroke, the Emory/Center for Disease Control C.A.R.E.S Registry program and the American Heart
Association Mission LifeLine Registry for cardiac care. MetroAtlanta Ambulance’s Education Manager is the
Chairperson for the Georgia Department of Public Health Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC)
advisory council. Critical data and input from operations in Bartow County will now be included in reporting
for these important programs.
 Metro Atlanta Ambulance Service has been the 911 Zone provider for neighboring Cobb County including
the cities of Acworth, Kennesaw, Marietta and Smyrna since 2001; and Paulding County including the cities
of Dallas and Hiram since 2013. The combined total population is more than 800,000 lives covered. The
responsiveness and performance in the delivery of services in these areas comes with high recommendation
by the respective County’s elected and public safety officials.
 MetroAtlanta Ambulance’s EMS operations in Cobb, Paulding and Cherokee Counties allow for immediate
surge capacity of ambulance units in the event of abnormal spikes in call demand or disaster. The company
can also surge resources from operations in Clayton, DeKalb, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett and Henry Counties.
 MetroAtlanta Ambulances has a solid track record of working in conjunction with local chambers, hospitals,
businesses, education and nonprofit agencies to make communities in which they serve a well-educated,
healthy and safer place to work and raise a family. They are a champion member of the Cartersville-Bartow
Chamber of Commerce and a sponsor agency of the Good Neighbor Homeless Shelter in Cartersville.
Through the Metro Atlanta Ambulance ‘Beyond the Lights and Siren’ program MetroAtlanta Ambulance
employees’ volunteer time, treasure and talent to local nonprofit projects. The MetroAtlanta Ambulance
Service Fund was developed to assist organizations in obtaining automatic defibrillators and CPR training.
 Metro Atlanta Ambulance has more than 600 employees system wide, a fleet of more than 130 vehicles, a
state of the art call/dispatch center and an in-house fleet maintenance facility. Dispatchers are certified
Emergency Medical Dispatchers by the National Academies of Emergency Dispatch and mechanics are ASE
certified by the National Institute of Automotive Service Excellence.

-FAST FACTS
 MetroAtlanta Ambulance operates an in-house patient billing and collections service to assist patients with
payment for services and with billing third party insurance. Billing staff are certified ambulance coders by
NAAC. The company privacy and compliance officer is a certified ambulance compliance officer and certified
ambulance privacy officer by NAAC.
 MetroAtlanta Ambulance is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS)
and the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS), each signifying the company
meets the highest quality patient care, safety and operating standards in the EMS industry. Metro Atlanta
Ambulance is the only ground ALS provider in Georgia to receive accreditation by CAMTS and the only
provider to have dual accreditations by both organizations.
 Metro Atlanta Ambulance operates the MetroAtlanta EMS Academy, a consortium created with Kennesaw
State University, to teach EMR, EMT, Advance EMT, Paramedic, Critical Care Paramedic and Extended
Practice Paramedic Courses. The Academy is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health
Education Programs-Committee on Accreditation of Emergency Medical Services Programs and has one of
the highest paramedic pass rates on the National Registry test in the state. The EMS Academy is partnered
with Cartersville Medical Center to mentor students during required hospital clinical rotations. More than
three hundred EMS students have graduated from the Metro Atlanta EMS Academy.
 MetroAtlanta Ambulance requires applicants for employment to pass stringent prehire testing and skill
evaluations, background screenings, motor vehicle record audits and then complete a mandatory orientation
and training program before being released for duty. Once released for duty, employees must complete
monthly continuing education courses, quarterly airway assessments and annually demonstrate their
competency in driving the ambulance and operating the equipment required to perform their duties.
 Policies, procedures and standards of care provided by MetroAtlanta Ambulance licensed emergency medical
professionals are developed and monitored by a Quality Management team including physicians specialized
in emergency medicine. The Medical Direction team is led by Dr. Julio Lairet, D.O., Emory Emergency
Medicine and includes physicians Yuko Nakajima, M.D., with Emory Emergency Medicine and Dr. John
Knox, M.D., with WellStar Emergency Medicine. MetroAtlanta standards of care and medical protocols are
reviewed bi-annually and as often as needed to ensure care is in compliance with the most current standards
of practice. The medical directors are involved in monthly quality management reviews for compliance with
call in-take protocols, medical protocols and documentation of care provided on the (ePCR) electronic patient
care report which is provided to the receiving facility. Dr. Lairet also serves as the Region I Medical Director
and as a member of the Georgia Emergency Medical Services Medical Directors Advisory Council
(EMSMDAC) for the Georgia Office of EMS & Trauma. MetroAtlanta Ambulance will add a physician
advisor from Cartersville Medical Center, Emergency Medicine to the medical advisory team.
 MetroAtlanta Ambulance carries all state required medical supplies and equipment. Bartow County will
benefit from having new state-of-the-art medical equipment, communications equipment and vehicles starting
immediately. In addition to required equipment, all units will be equipped with the Physio Control LifePack
15 defibrillator/monitor capable of transmitting a 12-lead EKG, a Physio Control LUCAS CPR Compression
System, a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure device (CPAP) and a King Vision portable laryngoscope. Our

-FAST FACTS
use of King Vision for intubation or a CPAP machine and the LUCAS CPR Compression System on cardiac
patients has reflected a significant increase in return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) in our patients in the
field, increased hospital admissions, and improved outcomes of viable patients. MetroAtlanta will work with
Cartersville Medical Center to enhance the STEMI pathway which allows our medics to transmit a 12-lead
EKG directly to the hospital physician to confirm an infield assessment of a blocked artery then bypass the
emergency department and go directly to the cathertization lab to relieve the blockage. The system shaves
critical time off the door to balloon time for cardiac patients suffering a heart attack and significantly improves
patient outcomes.
 MetroAtlanta Ambulance has a dedicated team to ensure a safe work environment for employees, patients
and community drivers at large. EMT’s drive hundreds of miles each day in all types of conditions making
everyday operations of emergency vehicles a great risk. To reduce the risk and increase good driving behaviors
all employees attend annual Emergency Vehicle Drivers Training and all vehicles are equipped with a video
monitoring system, DriveCam. DriveCam allows our safety staff to monitor speed and driving behaviors on
every vehicle in operation and provides a video snapshot inside and outside of the vehicle should an incident
occur. By monitoring driving behaviors and intervening as needed with coach and counsel, DriveCam allow
us to prevent accidents before they happen and exonerate drivers should a non-fault accident occur.
Compliance with OSHA safe work practices, facility safety, equipment evaluation and equipment maintenance
audits are also an integral part of our safety management plan.
 MetroAtlanta Ambulance serves an integral role in disaster management and response in Georgia.
MetroAtlanta Ambulance is a response provider for EMS Region I Disaster Assistance Response Team
(DART) and is the EMS Coordinating provider for the National Disaster Management System (NDMS) which
handles the evacuation efforts of patients flown into Dobbins Air Reserve Base. The Metro Atlanta
Ambulance Dispatch Communication Center serves as the EMS call center for the Infectious Disease
Transport Network (IDTN) for the state of Georgia. MetroAtlanta Ambulance is also the EMS Coordinating
agency for the evacuation of vulnerable populations throughout the state for the Georgia Emergency
Management and Homeland Security Agency.