Star EMS missing response-time targets in first months of Troy contract, data shows

Star EMS fell short of Troy's six-minute ambulance-response standard on 177 of 767 emergency calls in January and February, meeting the contractual benchmark just 76.9% of the time instead of the required 90%.

In January alone, Star EMS achieved approximately 70.6% compliance with the six-minute standard. The picture remained troubling over the contract's first three months: from January through March, Star EMS met the standard on 74.98% of emergency calls, meaning roughly one in four exceeded six minutes.

Even those figures do not reflect the full time callers waited. The contract's six-minute clock does not include call-processing time, which averages more than 90 seconds before dispatch. Troy's required response time is more stringent than Oakland County's nine-minute benchmark.

The performance gap comes after the Troy City Council unanimously approved the Star EMS contract at its Aug. 25, 2025, meeting, replacing Universal Ambulance when its contract expired Dec. 31, 2025. Star EMS was the sole bidder on the contract.

The Pontiac-based ambulance and medical transport company, founded in 2003, provides 911 emergency EMS and non-emergency patient transport across Oakland County. Its Troy contract is a two-year agreement that began Jan. 1, 2026, with options to renew annually for three additional years, valued at $771,144 for the first year and $794,268 for the second. Star EMS had 160 employees when the contract was awarded and was expected to expand its vehicles and manpower to meet Troy's service requirements.

Universal Ambulance had reported an average response time of 4 minutes, 59 seconds and a compliance rate ranging from 86% to 94% under the previous contract. Mayor Ethan Baker oversaw the 2025 decision to switch providers.

Despite Star EMS' early performance figures, the city has not released the underlying raw dispatch and arrival data — including dispatch time, en route time, arrival time, unit type and disposition — needed to independently verify the company's performance.

After residents asked city officials for a progress report in early July 2026, the city issued a statement saying it was "satisfied with STAR EMS and the services it provides to our community." The City of Troy official statement also said the city was "confident STAR EMS is meeting the response times dictated in the contract." The statement said the city was reviewing first-month performance data received at a recent EMS operations meeting.

The contract requires Star EMS to provide call-processing and dispatching reports so city officials can monitor performance, with the administration reporting back to the council with information needed for future decisions.

The public performance figures emerged through an analysis by Ed Ross, a Troy volunteer firefighter and former City Council candidate, who obtained the city's EMS response-time data through public records. Ross received 6,812 votes, or 14%, in the November 2025 Troy City Council election and did not win a seat. His campaign blog published its analysis April 27, 2026, examining EMS data from January through March.

The city has limited leverage short of ending the agreement. The Star EMS contract contains no direct financial penalties for poor performance; the city's discussion indicated there are no teeth in the contract other than possible termination. The city chose not to include financial penalties because some EMS providers indicated they would not bid if penalties were included.

The questions over the contract's performance and oversight also come as Baker seeks higher office. He announced his Republican campaign for Michigan's 11th Congressional District on June 16, 2026, seeking the seat being vacated by Rep. Haley Stevens, who is running for U.S. Senate.