The Merrillville Town Council has approved a three-year contract with Elmhurst, Ill.-based Superior Ambulance Services that stipulates it must respond to all calls in town within six minutes.

The new contract begins Feb. 1.

The contract also stipulates that Superior must have ambulances in three locations to cover all areas of town, have liability insurance and agree to split all profits on a 50/50 basis with the town.

The council sought bids for ambulance services after Council President Richard Hardaway, D-2nd, voiced concern over the response times by the town's former ambulance provider, Prompt Ambulance Service.

According to numbers provided by a Lake County E911 director, Prompt's average response time for chest pain was 9 minutes, 13 seconds.

Hardaway also was concerned that Prompt wanted to switch ambulance services if another one was closer to a call.

“I think this will be a lasting relationship,” Hardaway said of Superior, but asking whether the company had found a location on the north end of town.

Company officials said they've looked at a former transmission shop at 55th and Broadway, but haven't started negotiations yet.

They said they would find temporary accommodations in that area if a site isn't secured by Feb. 1.

Superior already had a garage at 90th and Mississippi Street.

Karen Caffarini is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.