YOUNGSTOWN - The city of Youngstown is partnering with American Medical Response to offer a program for students to earn money while they train. This seven-week training is free at no cost to the city.

AMR said there will be 12 new workers this July which means there will be one extra ambulance in the city every night and additional units during peak times.

However, the Youngstown Fire Chief, Barry Finley, said despite the graduate's two-year contract with AMR; this doesn't mean they have an obligation to stay in the city.

"It doesn't mean you have to work for Youngstown. Even if we gave you the class, you can go anywhere," Finley said, but officials remain hopeful this will help address the EMS shortage, an ongoing issue for the city.

AMR says in the meantime, this is a cheaper route for the city rather than creating a new response team of their own, which is something Youngstown has been working towards, but Finley said he's not on the same page as the fire union.

"Honestly I think we are ways off between myself and the union because I want to do it one way and the union wants to do it another way," Finley said. 

Finley sites issues negotiating compensation with the union. 

In a statement from the Local 312 Youngstown Fire Union, the union said, "The road to a modern, capable EMS system in the City always has and always will run through YFD and Local 312. You can see from the arguments in our recent fact-finding report that, regardless of what the City says, they are not working towards that system. When the City is ready to stop investing time and money into a failing, outdated EMS model, Local 312 will be here to move forward with them."