For Barry Landon, Senior Vice President, National Billing & Collections for Rural Metro, December 2005 was a VERY good month. According to Rural/Metro Form 4 - Statement of Changes in Beneficial Ownership filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Mr. Landon exercised 17,000 Rural/Metro stock options at a strike price of $1.50 per share, selling the common stock at $8.70 per share for a tidy pre-tax bonus of $122,400. Then, on December 12th, Barry Landon exercised another 2,568 options with a strike price of $1.50 per share, selling the common stock for $8.68 per share for another pre-tax bonus of $18,438.24. The next day, another 10,432 options were exercised, again at a strike price of $1.50 per share, and selling the common stock for $8.70 per share resulting in an additional $75,110.40 pre-tax. This left the option awarded with a nice before Christmas bonus of $215,948.64 before taxes kick in. December 8th Filing:
(see 12/6/05 report) 
 December 14th Filing:
(see report)  That wasn't the only bonus received. In a Rural/Metro 8-K Current Report filing on December 14th, the company reported its 2006 Management Incentive Program and 2005 Management Incentive Program Awards. "Michael Zarriello, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, $37,500; Barry Landon, Senior Vice President of Billing and Collections, President of Southwest Ambulance and President of Arizona/Oregon Fire Services, $22,500; Kristi Ponczak, Vice President and Treasurer, $12,066; and all other participants, $42,646."
(see another report)

The reality is that there is money to be made in EMS. You've just got to have the right job.

Scott Foens