In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the company contracted to provide 911 ambulance services for Alameda County may soon dial back its operations and furlough many of its 600 employees, The Chronicle has learned.

Falck, a Denmark-based health care giant, said transport volume has fallen dramatically since the virus took hold and Bay Area governments implemented stay-at-home orders that have kept people off the streets, temporarily reducing revenue. According to an internal email to employees, furloughed emergency medical technicians and paramedics would go unpaid unless they use their sick days or borrow from their own time off — leave time that employees have said is inadequate.

“In these turbulent times, businesses nationwide are facing difficult decisions,” human resources business partner Kenya Howard said in the March 30 email, which was provided to The Chronicle. “We are working closely with your union and have already been in discussion about the possibility of Falck ALCO implementing furloughs for union employees.”

A Falck official said the company was still hoping to prevent the furloughs, and employees who spoke to The Chronicle said no action had been taken as of Monday. And it was unclear whether the company could take the action without approval from the county.

The prospect of reduced ambulance services has alarmed Alameda County officials, who say the unpredictable nature of COVID-19 makes it impossible to forecast demand.

“Any reduction in staffing would leave the system and community vulnerable without the ability to rapidly respond to such an unpredictable and fluid change in need,” said Jerri Randrup, an Alameda County Health Care Services Agency representative.

Randrup said county officials will work closely with Falck to ensure appropriate staffing throughout the crisis. She added that the county “expects staffing and deployment of ambulances will remain equal to or greater than normal levels.”

Three Falck employees who spoke to The Chronicle said a furlough would be only the latest financial blow they’ve suffered during the crisis, after some who have already been isolated or sick with non-COVID-19 illnesses were forced to take unpaid time off.

“I’m very worried,” one EMT said, adding that they are one of many employees who have underlying medical conditions that could put them at high risk. “If I get sick I could potentially get very, very sick.”

The names of the EMT and two paramedics who spoke are being withheld in accordance with The Chronicle’s policy on anonymous sources, because they were not authorized to speak publicly and feared retaliation.

Last summer, Falck started a five-year contract with Alameda County, providing 911 ambulance services to all cities and unincorporated areas aside from Alameda, Albany, Berkeley and Piedmont, where local fire departments provide the service. Falck was recently bidding to win a 911 ambulance contract in San Diego.

Other large corporations that employ essential workers have expanded their employee benefits amid the crisis. Target announced it would temporarily raise pay by $2 an hour and allow paid leave up to 30 days for employees at high risk. Home Depot is offering all full-time hourly associates an additional 80 hours of paid time off, and 40 hours off for part-time hourly employees. Those who are diagnosed with coronavirus will be paid for time off until they are released by a doctor to return to work.

Falck, a privately held company that operates on five continents and in 30 countries, is the world’s largest international rescue company, according to its website. So far it has not offered employees additional benefits.

The March 30 message stated that the furlough measure would be temporary and is “intended to ensure that we’re financially strong during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“We anticipate a surge in volume in the near future, when people will be counting on us like never before in the history of EMS,” Howard’s letter said. “Until then, these steps may be necessary to preserve our readiness.”

Details about the potential furlough, including how many employees could be affected, have not been released.

As of Monday, Alameda County health officials reported 588 positive cases and 13 deaths — a count that spans Alameda County cities aside from Berkeley. The virus to date has stricken more than 357,000 people in the U.S. and killed more than 10,500.

Jesse Allured, Falck’s director and chief in Alameda County, said one company employee in the county has tested positive for COVID-19 and is currently quarantined and in recovery.

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Allured said the company has adopted several measures for the safety and well-being of its employees and the public. Falck eliminated the waiting period for new employees to get insurance, he said, and it is testing all employees for fevers before their shifts. If the temperature reads over 100, or if the employee is otherwise symptomatic, they’re asked to go home.

In these cases, employees are told to use their sick or vacation time.

Allured said he hopes the company isn’t forced to sideline employees, but current transport volume may leave few other options. He provided a snapshot of data from two days a month apart: On Feb. 28, approximately two weeks before the region’s shelter-in-place orders took effect, Falck’s ambulances responded to 401 calls and made 282 transports; on March 27, they responded to 333 calls and made 159 transports.

These figures could reflect more people following the stay-at-home orders, Allured said, and county residents wanting to refrain from tying up 911 lines.

Oakland fire crews, who respond to medical emergencies alongside ambulance workers, are beginning to refuse to transport people not deemed sick enough by fire crews. Meanwhile, hospital visits of any length risk infecting an otherwise healthy patient; and if the patient already has COVID-19 but isn’t gravely ill, they now present too much risk of infecting others, according to Oakland fire officials.

Allured acknowledged that the call volume may soon spike if health predictions prove accurate — that the region and entire state are headed for a deadly surge of COVID-19 cases.

“We strongly feel this is a deteriorating condition,” Allured said. “We do fully expect volume ... in the next few weeks to increase, but where we sit today, that is pure speculation.”

Megan Cassidy is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @meganrcassidy