EMS Reform Co-founder Walter Beach.
Today’s Sound Off Louisiana feature is a very informative interview with Walter Beach, who is the co-founder of EMS Reform, who contends that the Louisiana Legislature promotes monopolies of EMS services via LA R. S. 4791.1(D) which states:
Any municipality or other local governing authority is authorized to carry out the provisions of this Section as acts of government on behalf of the state as sovereign and, to the extent the governing authority deems necessary or appropriate, is further authorized to displace competition and provide a monopoly public service. All immunity of the state of Louisiana from liability under antitrust law is hereby extended to any municipality or other governing authority acting within the scope of authority contained in this Section and, when so acting, a municipality or other local governing authority shall be presumed to be acting in furtherance of state policy.
We fully expect to have Beach on Sound Off Louisiana as part of an ongoing series, but for this interview, his focus was primarily upon EBRP Mayor President Sid Edwards’ plan to allow Baton Rouge General Hospital to provide ambulance services, for which Beach applauds Edwards and controversies around Edwards’ plan to merge EBRP EMS with the BR Fire Department. Here’s our interview with Beach:
August 6, 2025: Beach provides his thoughts on Edwards’ proposal to allow Baton Rouge General Hospital to provide ambulance services and his proposal to merge EBRP EMS with BR Fire.
Here are highlights from the above-linked Advocate articles:
BRGH providing ambulance services:
For decades, Acadian Ambulance has provided the lion’s share of ambulance services not handled by East Baton Rouge’s own Emergency Medical Services, transporting patients from facilities like hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living centers and more in the parish.
But now, Mayor-President Sid Edwards has opened the door for a competitor, allowing Baton Rouge General to enter the market.
“We are excited about the opportunity to better support patients in Baton Rouge and help ensure they get where they need to go quickly,” said Meghan Parrish, Vice President of Marketing and Communications.
Edwards made the decision over protests from Acadian, which argues city-parish ordinances require the mayor to consider “whether the public convenience and necessity require,” a new ambulance service.
“We definitely did not like the way it was done, because it did not follow the ordinance,” said Acadian Director of Operations Porter Taylor.
Still, Taylor added that the company is “not interested in making it messy.”
According to Taylor and Acadian, no need for an additional provider exists.
” … it appears that Baton Rouge General’s intentions are self-serving,” he wrote. “To my knowledge, there have been no other health care entities in this parish that have expressed a need for additional ambulance services, including your own municipal EMS.”
On July 14, Edwards issued a letter to BRG granting a request to apply for an ambulance service for nonemergency calls and emergencies when requested by city-parish EMS.
Merger of EBRP EMS with BR Fire:
With Baton Rouge EMS workers pushing back on a recent announcement that their department will be merging with the city’s Fire Department, the mayor and emergency services leaders are trying to calm those anxieties.
But after a town hall meeting Tuesday led by East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Sid Edwards, EMS Director Chris Landry and BRFD Chief Michael Kimble, many of the EMS workers still expressed frustration.
At the meeting, which originally was meant to be closed but which Edwards decided to open to reporters, officials said no jobs or promotion structure will be lost, and EMS will keep control of its funding.
And while Landry, Edwards and others tried to put workers at ease, many EMS workers continued to voice their opposition to the merger.
“We need support, we do not need a merger,” said Emergency Medical Technician Amber Munch. “EMS has our own problems, just like everyone else, but the fire department is not the answer to those problems. Support is.”
Since the merger was announced in June, EMS workers have voiced concerns about their positions and benefits, wondering if cuts would take place.
Kimble said there has been a lot of “misinformation” on those subjects over the past month or so.
The back-and-forth between workers and officials remained mostly civil, though tensions rose as many EMS workers repeatedly asked why the merger was happening.
“Because I want it,” the mayor finally said.
Paramedic Association President Janice Willard said officials didn’t have answers to many of the questions EMS workers were asking.
“It was a lot of dancing around questions, not really answering anything,” Willard said. “I could see a lot of people in the audience, especially from EMS, very frustrated. And a lot of people got up and left. I think that says a lot.”
Before the meeting ended, one worker asked the mayor if the merger was a done deal.
Edwards replied and said he wants it to move forward and the process, but conceded that “If it was 100%, I wouldn’t have wasted my time coming.”
“I still feel strong about it happening,” Edwards said. “But to answer your question: no. I’m listening to you … Because look, anytime you come in to try and change something … people get very uncomfortable.”
As Burns states on the video, this matter is, “not going to be resolved in a week,” and we look forward to having Beach return as this process advances further along.
Furthermore, as Burns also states on the video, Edwards and/or his representatives are more than welcome to engage in a Sound Off Louisiana feature to present his side of this matter. As always, we will be more than happy to accommodate.
Mr. Beach speaks the truth, and Coach would do well to listen. This man has almost four decades of experience. If Walter tried to coach a football team and sent a 360 lb. offensive lineman in the game to return a kickoff Coach would fix that disaster fast. Walter is trying to do the same thing here!