RANDOLPH COUNTY, Ga. (WALB) – A Randolph County Commission meeting saw residents and city leaders upset with county commissioners over persistently slow Emergency Medical Services (EMS) response times.

Residents started the meeting upset with the response of some of the county commissioners ready to resign the Ameri-Pro Contract. But now, Randolph County leaders have come up with a temporary solution to the ongoing concerns over EMS Response in the county.

This follows the recent shooting death of 16-year-old Tyrae Campbell in a Cuthbert park, where there has been a huge debate about the time that the ambulance arrived on the scene.

“You all just voted for that IT system and a young man done lost his life and you should be putting that money towards a doggone EMS System,” said County Commissioner, Henry Davenport.

Randolph County Commissioners voted to approve a contract extension for Ameripro Health, which provides ambulance service to the county. That didn’t sit right with many, who are concerned about conflicting reports over how long it took an AmeriPro ambulance to arrive at Cuthbert the night Tyrae Campbell was shot.

According to AmeriPro records, on February 23rd, the ambulance was dispatched from Georgetown in Quitman County at 8:23 p.m. It reportedly arrived on the scene at 8:46 p.m., a response time of 23 minutes.

But Cuthbert Police Chief Tarris Bivins doesn’t believe that. He says he was on scene personally and he clocked the response time at 45 minutes. The distance from Georgetown to Cuthbert is a little over 24 miles.

But on Monday, residents are saying that the debate over the time the ambulance arrived is overshadowed by the fact that a young man died.

“People are losing their lives while you guys are fussing and can’t agree on it while lives of our children, mothers and grandmothers are being taken for granted,” said Jackie Thornton, a Randolph County resident.

Thornton also listed numerous names of those deceased that called for an ambulance, but that care did not arrive in a timely manner.

The board of commissioners revisited the AmeriPro contract after it was originally signed by County Chairman Jeff McCarter in November 2024 without the entire board voting on the contract. Commissioners say that AmeriPro has been good to the county and the issues that they are facing are issues that all rural areas face.

“The lower the response time that you want, the more it’s going to cost you,” said Kelly Joiner, State EMS Deputy Director for AmeriPro.

Commissioner Davenport then made a request to the board to see if there is another company that can service the county for a lower cost, leaving city officials and residents saying they prefer that option.

“Getting those RFPs out meaning that bidding it going to be reopened for the ambulance contract and that’s all we’re asking for. We know we have to spend the money and have a transportation problem, we’re just trying to get the best of our money,” says Chief of Police Tarris Bivins.

“We came together, and we are trying to make sure that we stay on top of it so we can get the services that we need in Randolph County,” said Karen Gilbert, a Randolph County resident.

This morning’s meeting had tensions flying a little high on both sides, but they were able to get a resolution to two main issues - the EMS issues in the county and to move the Commission meeting to 6 p.m. so more residents could attend and that will start next month.

Previous Coverage:

• Randolph County wants to work with City of Cuthbert to provide EMS services
• ‘He would have had a better chance’: Cuthbert teen’s death highlights need for rural health care

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