07/15/2025
Official Statement from Crittenden EMS Regarding the City of Osceola’s EMS Provider Agreement:
Crittenden EMS is honored to continue serving as the exclusive emergency medical services provider for the City of Osceola. We are grateful to Mayor Joe Harris Jr. and the city leadership for reaffirming their trust in our agency and our commitment to high-quality, timely prehospital care.
Several years ago, Crittenden EMS was brought in to help address serious concerns over slow response times and limited EMS coverage within the city. Since that time, we believe those issues have significantly improved, and we are proud of the consistent, professional service we have delivered to the residents of Osceola.
We are aware of recent public statements suggesting that Crittenden EMS units are frequently unavailable, requiring another provider to respond to calls. We respectfully dispute those claims. We contend that outside providers are not being dispatched through official channels, but are instead self-dispatching to calls after monitoring scanner traffic. This practice undermines the coordinated delivery of emergency services and the decisions of local elected officials.
It is important to clarify the history of the temporary rotation agreement. At the time of the initial vote by the city council to establish a rotating system, Crittenden EMS ownership was not present at the meeting. The rotation was implemented as an interim measure pending a final decision by city leadership. At a subsequent public safety committee meeting—where Crittenden EMS Director Hudson Hallam was present—we shared data indicating that the City of Osceola does not have the call volume necessary to sustainably support two EMS providers on a rotating basis, particularly when one provider retains exclusive access to hospital transfers from the county-owned facility.
Emergency medical services operate in a uniquely challenging financial and operational environment. Low call volume, when divided between competing services, can threaten the stability of all providers involved.
We are also aware of comments made by Mr. Clay Hobbs of Pafford EMS expressing intent to withdraw services from the city in response to Mayor Harris’s decision. While we respect Mr. Hobbs’ right to make business decisions, we find it unfortunate that mutual aid to citizens would be withdrawn solely because a provider was not selected as the exclusive 911 vendor. Pafford has indicated that they will continue to maintain an ambulance presence in Osceola to serve county needs. With that in mind, we hope they will continue to uphold the professional standard of offering mutual aid when necessary—something we remain committed to as a regional partner.
Lastly, we must respond to Mr. Hobbs’s criticism of the city’s decision-making process, including the lack of a formal RFQ. While we support transparency and fairness in EMS contracting, we find it disingenuous to raise these concerns when Pafford previously accepted a ten-year exclusive contract with the county that bypassed the quorum court process—executed by Judge Alan Nelson just days before a meeting where an RFQ was to be considered. Fairness and due process must apply consistently across all jurisdictions.
We regret that Pafford EMS has chosen to potentially withdraw from assisting the residents of Osceola. Nevertheless, Crittenden EMS remains fully committed to our duty. We will take all necessary measures to ensure continuous, high-quality emergency care for the citizens of Osceola. Our mission is unwavering: to respond, to care, and to serve.
Crittenden EMS
July 14, 2025
West Memphis, Arkansas
Please forward any questions to Service Director and CEO Hudson Hallum via email at [email protected] or contact via phone at 9013015650
