SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (Feb. 23, 2005) – Rural/Metro announced today that is has been awarded a five-year contract to continue service to the City of Buffalo, New York, following a vote of the Buffalo Common Council. Although the company and its predecessors have served the greater Buffalo area since the 1960s, Tuesday’s Council vote designated Rural/Metro Medical Services as the city’s sole ambulance provider.

The new contract commences March 1, 2005 with an initial term of five years, followed by one optional, two-year renewal period, for a total possible length of seven years. The company estimates the contract will generate $8 million in net revenue annually. Rural/Metro will pay the city a $350,000 annual franchise fee to offset certain costs associated with the city’s emergency system, including monitoring, evaluation, licensing, and first responder services.

Jack Brucker, President and Chief Executive Officer, said, "Rural/Metro and its employees share a significant commitment to the City of Buffalo and its citizens. We have served the community for more than four decades and look forward to contributing to the future performance of this emergency response system."

Rural/Metro Medical Services is Western New York’s largest medical transportation provider, with more than 500 employees and 90 emergency response vehicles. Buffalo is central to an eight-county region of Western New York with a population of nearly 1.6 million people. Rural/Metro provided more than 90,000 medical transports throughout the region in the last year.

Todd Walker, President of Rural/Metro's Northeast Emergency Response Group, said, "We take great pride in the quality of the services we provide, the experience of our employees, and the resources we bring to Buffalo and the surrounding communities. We have established strong relationships with the
community, the Buffalo Fire Department, and fellow healthcare providers and look forward to our continued investment in this exceptional EMS system."

Rob Zachrich, General Manager of the company's Western New York operations, said, "This agreement allows us to move even further into a collaborative effort with the Buffalo Fire Department to provide the best EMS service to the citizens of Buffalo. We look forward to working with the leadership of Team Fire to make important inroads into EMS. The support of both the Common Council and the Emergency Medical Services board clearly reflects the hard work and dedication of our employees."