By JOEL PHELPS | arkadelphian.com
The process to determine which ambulance company will provide 911 services in Clark County officially begins this Friday, July 18, 2025.
Requests for Qualifications (RFQs) will be published twice in The Southern Standard and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette beginning this week, county Judge Troy Tucker said during a quorum court meeting Monday. Ambulance service companies may pick up the RFQ packet beginning Friday, and they can only submit an RFQ in person at the county judge’s office in a sealed envelope, Tucker announced. Tucker said the deadline to submit an RFQ is Thursday, Aug. 7.
Once the RFQs have been submitted, Tucker will deliver them to the as-yet-unnamed Selection Committee for review. That panel, which Tucker said will be comprised of professionals from the medical field, will rank the qualifications and make a recommendation to the county’s 911 board. The quorum court can then either accept or reject the 911 board’s recommendation. Tucker said he will not be involved in the Selection Committee’s ranking process.
Representatives from both Pafford Emergency Services and Valor EMS, the two ambulance companies at the forefront of the ambulance service question, were in attendance at Monday’s meeting as Tucker fielded questions from justices, namely Michael Ankton and Jenna Scott.
Scott asked Tucker if he had yet made public the names of the Selection Committee; Tucker said he hasn’t yet and will not until he can present a biography for each member on the panel.
Ankton inquired how the published RFQ affects the timeline of the selection process. Tucker noted that Pafford’s original 90-day agreement remains in effect until a permanent provider is in place.
“Nobody wants it put to bed quicker than me or y’all,” Tucker told the court. “I assure you there’s gonna be people that’s not happy when all is said and done. All we can do as a court and as a committee and as a judge is to the very best we can to make sure it is a fair process and that we get the best provider for service in our county.”
Asked by Justice Stuart Thomas if the quorum court will have the opportunity to discuss the 911 board’s recommendations, Tucker replied, “We’re not there yet.”
In other reports, Tucker noted:
• The county received a $209,000 grant from the Arkansas Historical Preservation Program to replace all the wood-framed windows at the courthouse with aluminum-framed windows. The county is matching the grant with $20,000 from its American Recovery Plan Act funding.
• The courthouse clock tower — damaged in April storms — will be refurbished for $21,250 previously appropriated by the quorum court.
• FEMA continues looking into county bridges damaged in the April flooding. Most bridge projects have been completed.
• The county is hopeful for placement of lights and gates at the Union Pacific railroad crossing on Richwoods Road, the scene of a deadly train-versus-vehicle collision in 2023. Tucker said UP and the Arkansas Department of Transportation are involved in the process.
• A traffic light at the Arkansas Highway 7 intersection with Frost Road (in front of Cracker Barrel in Caddo Valley) could be installed to alleviate traffic congestion at the intersection.
Discover more from
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
