Spirit Medical Transport takes legal action against city of Piqua

Video featuring previous coverage of Springcreek Twp.’s EMS service change

PIQUA, Ohio ( WDTN ) — Spirit Medical Transport LLC, with the support of its attorney, sent a demand letter to the city of Piqua regarding its contract with Springcreek Township.

Our partners at Miami Valley Today reported that Spirit Medical Transport demands Piqua “to enforce the mutual aid agreement and retract statements.”

This came after City Manager Paul Oberdorfer released a statement that Piqua would not provide mutual aid EMS services to Spirit due to it being a pro-profit firm.

Legal representation for Spirit Medical Transport said this violates an agreement circulated by Montgomery County Prosecuting Attorney Mat Heck, Jr. which added Spirit as a participant in the Greater Dayton Area Fire Department’s mutual aid agreement.

Spirit Medical Transport’s CEO Brian Hathaway told our partners at Miami Valley Today that they are still under contract until Dec. 31, 2025, and under the mutual aid agreement, they are required to respond. However, Hathaway says, “We’re just not getting dispatched.”

Springcreek Township announced in January they would discontinue their EMS service with the city of Piqua and would instead sign a $161,000 contract with Spirit Medical Transport. However, in March, Springcreek Twp. rescinded the contract due to complaints from residents.

Miami Valley Today obtained a copy of the demand letter, dated March 5, 2024. In it, the attorney for Spirit Medical Transport, wrote the letter was serving as “Spirit’s formal notice of the city of Piqua’s anticipatory breach of the Greater Dayton Area Fire Department’s mutual aid agreement, and second, as Spirit’s demand for immediate remedy as detailed herein.”

Spirit Medical Transport also says the City of Piqua did not provide 30 days’ notice of its intent to withdraw from the agreement.

According to our partners, the letter states that the city of Piqua tried to “interfere” with the agreement by “adamantly refusing to provide mutual aid to Spirit, and therefore, Springcreek.” The letter also states that the city of Piqua did not have “the Springcreek citizens’ health and safety in mind, but rather their own economic interests.”

Hathaway says the city of Piqua has been unresponsive to their letter but the trustees “wrote a check to us.” The Chairman of Springcreek Township Trustees said in a meeting Monday evening that they had “no knowledge” of the demand letter.

At the end of their meeting, an executive session was held with their legal counsel who said it was for “potential imminent or pending litigation.”

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