The Mobile City Council on Nov. 12 opened a public hearing on Acadian Ambulance Service's application for a certificate of public convenience and necessity (COPCN) and voted to hold the item over for one week rather than take immediate action.

Porter Taylor, director of operations for Acadian Ambulance Service, told the council the company seeks a third certificate to bring a comprehensive prehospital care and transport program to Mobile. Taylor said Acadian would deploy resources to relieve local strain, form a quality-assurance panel open to city officials, and invest in workforce development with high‑school and college training partnerships. "We are here to supplement. We're here to augment the system," Taylor said.

Robert Benoit, Acadian's fire liaison supervisor, described long-standing partnerships between ambulance companies and fire departments and framed Acadian's approach as focusing on training and expanding the "chain of survival." Acadian representatives said hospital staff reported multi‑hour waits for transfers and that additional private-provider capacity could improve throughput.

Local providers and residents pushed back. Sabrina Mass, a veteran nurse and concerned citizen, gave the council a packet and alleged a history of lawsuits and privacy incidents involving Acadian, including claims the company previously settled overbilling cases and data breaches; Mass urged the council not to approve Acadian's application. "We are not going to start former years of foolery and lawsuits," she said, adding the city "deserves respect" from any provider.

Leaders of current local providers also urged caution. Kenneth Hughes, owner of Medevac Ambulance Service, and representatives of Newman's Ambulance emphasized decades-long local service and warned that adding a third provider could divide a limited pool of EMTs and destabilize local coverage—an outcome they said occurred when national companies previously entered and later left the market. "Introducing a third provider into the city would divide an already strained workforce," Mike Sandell, speaking for Newman's, told the council.

Acadian representatives disputed some public claims and reiterated plans to invest in local training and partner with hospitals and community colleges. "We were called and asked if we would come," Melon Ashley of Acadian said, adding the company has experience running large 9‑1‑1 operations in other markets.

Procedurally, the council temporarily waived speaker‑limit rules to allow additional public testimony; after hearing a mix of speakers for, against and neutral on the application, the city clerk announced the COPCN item would be held over one week and no final action would be taken at the Nov. 12 meeting.

What happens next: The council deferred any vote so members can review submitted materials, letters of support or opposition, and the RFP/administrative record identified during testimony. The item remains on a future council agenda for further consideration.

Reporting note: The council meeting record includes conflicting word forms and spellings in public remarks; quotes above are taken verbatim where indicated and attributed to speakers who identified themselves on the record.