Spirit to open Defiance operations after K&P closes

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DEFIANCE — In the wake of the closing of a Defiance icon in the ambulance business, a family-owned and operated medical transport business from Greenville has come to the rescue.

Earlier this month the owners of K&P Medical Transport, Ltd., made the tough decision to discontinue operating its ambulance service located at 25288 Elliot Road, Defiance. With that decision, came a search by company owners to find a service willing to continue ambulance service in the area, while also allowing current K&P Medical Transport, Ltd., employees to maintain employment in the EMS field.

“K&P Medical Transport is pleased that Spirit EMS agreed to take over operations for our ambulance division and provide our employees with employment while remaining at our current location,” said Aaron Keller, member/owner of K&P Medical Transport, Ltd. “There is a definite need in the community for ambulance transportation.”

Keller along with fellow member/owner Dan Peck said while they are closing their ambulance division, K&P will continue to service its northwest Ohio clients with wheelchair van and car service for those needing transportation to medical appointments.

Spirit EMS has already agreed to lease the current K&P Medical Transport, Ltd., building and has begun the process of applying for satellite station licensing at that location through the Ohio Board of Pharmacy and the Ohio Division of Fire & Emergency Medical Services.

“Over the past few weeks, we have interviewed many great EMTs who have a passion of serving their community,” explained Spirit EMS President / CEO Brian K. Hathaway. “Opening a station in Defiance feels like coming home again. I have deep family roots in Defiance County. My mother graduated from Ayersville High School and I have aunts and uncles that live in the area. I spent many summers and holidays in my younger years at the home my grandpa began building in 1966. So, when asked by the owners of K&P to come help fill a potential community void, I felt the need to make every effort to make it happen.”

K&P Medical Transport, Ltd., will close as of midnight June 2, 2023. As of 12:01 a.m. June 3, 2023, Spirit EMS will begin taking calls in and around the Defiance area.

Many employees of K&P that had long-standing employment with the closing company applied with Spirit, and the management team is pleased to announce that 17 of them will be joining the Spirit family.

Current K&P Medical Transport, Ltd., Operations / Education Manager Cathy Royal has been hired by Spirit EMS to serve as the station captain of the Defiance station when the transition takes place.

Spirit EMS is a family-owned and operated ambulance business owned by Hathaway and his brother-in-law, Aaron Guthrie. The opening of the Defiance location will make Spirit’s seventh location within Ohio and Indiana. Headquartered in Greenville, other locations include Celina, Houston, Sidney, Van Wert, and Liberty, Ind.

“Thanks to our talented staff,” Guthrie states, “we have proven time and again that our abilities and skills can be relied upon to provide the best pre-hospital care and transportation known to the area.”

The company specializes in handling interfacility hospital transports and transfers, as well as assisting nursing homes and hospice agencies with the medical transportation needs. Spirit EMS also has provided 9-1-1 services to various communities since 2014 and currently covers over 50 square miles of territory in Shelby County. Spirit EMS is also a network provider under the American Medical Response contract with FEMA, and on a yearly basis they contract ambulance services for Eldora Speedway in Rossburg; Country Concert at Hickory Hills Lake in Fort Loramie; and the Great Darke County Fair just to name a few. The full-scale medical transportation services include bariatric cot service, vent-dependent, bi-pap, c-pap, and Mobile Intensive Critical Care patient transports.

The Spirit management team will be working diligently over the next several weeks to establish new contracts and working relationships with the hospitals, facilities, and agencies in this respective area. “We have received multiple inquiries over the past several days about potentially serving a vast number of facilities based upon the potential void being created by this closing,” explained Hathaway. “We want to assure everyone that we plan to continue the great service people have come to know and expect in recent years with K&P, and what Mary and her team started many years before when M&M Medivan was serving the area. As a family-owned and operated company, we are dedicated to serving individuals in need with pride, dignity, and compassion. We look forward to serving the individuals and families of the Defiance area in their time of need.”

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