Matt Hamilton/Daily Citizen-NewsA Hamilton Emergency Medical Services worker helps take a person to an ambulance after a crash on Dawnville Road in this file photo.

DALTON, Ga. — The Whitfield County Board of Commissioners is considering opening up the county’s 911 emergency medical service for bids for the first time in almost a decade and two providers presented information on their companies on Wednesday, according to County Administrator Mark Gibson.

Gibson did not name the companies, but officials with Hamilton Health Care System, which has had the contract for 32 years, said last week they planned to make a presentation.

Gibson described the other company as one that “provides service in several southeastern states with the exception of Georgia.”

The county invited companies interested in bidding on the service to make presentations to Gibson, Emergency Management Agency Director Claude Craig and Fire Chief Edward O’Brien.

Gibson said the three will present commissioners “with our observations and points of interest that we believe they will want to know.”

Board of Commissioners Chairman Lynn Laughter said staff will probably brief commissioners at an upcoming work session.

Gibson said if commissioners do want to move forward with opening the service up for bids the county will issue a request for proposals.

Commissioner Greg Jones said he was disappointed that only two companies made presentations.

“But we put it out there, advertised in different places,” he said. “If only two companies show up, what can you do?”

Commissioner Harold Brooker said he was also surprised.

“We advertised it. We’ve been talking about it for 12 months,” he said. “I guess we will have to wait on the presentation and see where we go from here.”

Commissioners voted last year to renew Hamilton’s contract to operate the EMS through 2018. But commissioners said they want to have a full request for proposals, something the county has not had since 2009.

Hamilton receives $300,000 a year, and $70,000 every other year to cover half the cost of a new ambulance.

Commissioners said that putting the service up for bids does not mean they are unhappy with Hamilton.

“This isn’t about Hamilton,” Jones said. “We just need to make sure we are getting the best deal for taxpayers.”

Officials at Hamilton said they plan to bid on the service again if a request for proposals goes out.

The last time the county opened the service up for bids Hamilton got the contract even though it initially submitted the highest bid by far of the five companies that bid.

Care Ambulance, based in Montgomery, Ala., was the low bidder, asking $1.08 million for 39 months. Hamilton had bid $3.04 million. But commissioners asked Hamilton officials to submit another proposal, which was $1.5 million.