MedCorp Abruptly Ends Operations, Lays Off Employees

MedCorp emergency services, a Toledo-based ambulance service that also did business in Columbus, abruptly closed its operations Friday evening.

FirstMed locked its doors and garages at its Columbus facility without notice or explanation Friday night, said an employee who asked not to be identified.

The employee said the company employed about 60 full- and part-time workers in Columbus and held contracts to work at Columbus entertainment venues. FirstMed also provided transport services for many area nursing homes, the employee said.

There was no answer at the company’s Columbus telephone number.

An operator answering MedCorp’s administration line Saturday morning in Toledo said she was taking calls “and advising that we are no longer in business.” She said she would forward inquiries to a company official, but an operator who answered the phone several hours later declined to identify herself and said the company had no comment.

“At this point, I am not allowed to give … any information,” the operator said.

MedCorp filed for bankruptcy protection in 2011. The same year, it was acquired by First Med EMS, based in Wilmington, N.C., according to First Med’s website.

Calls and an email to a First Med spokesman were not returned, and the company’s website was down for maintenance Saturday.

Several MedCorp employees who worked at its sites in both Toledo and Columbus said they were told Friday night not to report to work. The employees spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they feared their final paychecks might be withheld or that they would suffer other retaliation for speaking with reporters.

The company is no longer operating its Toledo ambulance and ambulette services, employees said, but it was unclear how many people had lost their jobs.

In 2011, MedCorp had more than 200 employees in Toledo.

MedCorp announced in March it would close its Findlay operation and move equipment and employees to other northwestern Ohio bases after the city of Findlay said it planned to negotiate with another emergency-services company to respond to 911 calls.