Rural/Metro's history goes back more than 50 years, when founder Lou Witzeman became concerned that his neighborhood didn't have fire protection. So he pooled together some money, bought a fire truck, and asked his neighbors to subscribe to his fledgling company. With the company was also born a new way of thinking about health and safety services. As a private sector company, Rural/Metro is dedicated to finding the most cost-effective ways to deliver the highest quality ambulance transportation and fire protection services. In 1969, Rural/Metro began operating ambulance services independently of its fire operations. Today, Rural/Metro has become one of the largest ambulance companies in North America, providing "911" emergency and non-emergency medical transportation services, as well as a variety of fire protection services