The start of the new year brought about the official kickoff for a first-of-its kind approach to delivering ambulance service to residents in most of Contra Costa County. The Contra Costa County Fire Protection District is now teamed with American Medical Response (AMR,) with the District assuming the responsibility for delivering emergency ambulance services countywide.
Following a significant public and stakeholder outreach effort, the Fire Protection District Board of Directors approved the new delivery model last year, and work has been underway to ensure the transition is a smooth one for residents. Budget cuts over the years combined with technological improvements made the time right for a shift in how the agencies approached emergency medical response.
“The Contra Costa County Fire Protection District Board of Directors is looking forward to seeing the benefits expected from the partnership,” said District Director Candace Andersen. “The Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, the Contra Costa Health Services’ Emergency Medical Services Division and the ambulance provider, AMR, have worked hard for months to create the team that will lead our emergency response efforts. With the launch on January 1, we want to make sure residents are aware that although the vehicles and uniforms may look different, when someone responds to your 9-1-1 call there won’t be many obvious changes for the patient. One of the shifts we do expect is a more efficient deployment of our personnel. In many cases response times will improve and it won’t be necessary to send both a fire truck and an ambulance to every emergency medical call.”
Supervisor Andersen was speaking on behalf of the Board of Directors, which is comprised of the five members of the County Board of Supervisors acting in their capacity with the Fire District. Supervisor Andersen is the Chair of the Board for 2016.
The changes in uniforms and the look of the vehicles responding is underway, part of an overall rebranding effort. Even more importantly, what have been known as “Quick Response Vehicles” are no longer part of the response team. A Quick Response Vehicle was a single paramedic vehicle stationed at a fire station that would respond with the Fire District’s first responders, assisting until an ambulance would arrive to transport the patient. Quick Response Vehicles cannot transport patients to the hospital. The two that were in East County and the one from West County are being replaced instead by ambulances, enhancing transport capability.
For example, in recognition of the growth in East County, the new contract improves the mandated response time of ambulances from 16:45 to 11:45 is most areas – a higher level of service to residents. To accommodate that change, Quick Response Vehicles have been removed and ambulance unit hours have been increased.
The Board of Directors will hear an update on the new partnership at its meeting in Martinez on Tuesday, January 12, 2016, at 1:30 p.m. in the Board Chamber at 651 Pine Street.
The following press release was provided by Contra Costa County Emergency Medical Services
18 comments
Does that mean that all ambulance crews will now be EMTs? In the past they have not.
Jerry,
No. The AMR crews will consist of one paramedic and one emt.
I’m confused. Been told ambulance crews must be EMTs or paramedics. Since we have never had paramedic service in a east county why is Jerry saying they weren’t EMTs? What were they? Uber drivers?
Why do so many people post who don’t know the subject matter? Sorry for all the questioning but it’s hard to get the straight information from people that post without qualifying their comments. AMR tells me they are all EMTs. Only a paramedic rode alone on the quick response unit. Just call AMR they actually answer the phone.
My question Wait is why does something decided between AMR and ConFire take away our QRV’s (Paramedics) in East County and West County? So we did have Paramedics out here Wait. It’s great that they are at least saying that we’ll have ambulances. But ambulances transport and leave our area. The QRV’s were dedicated Paramedic units. ConFire has Paramedics on their engines and in the past we had the QRV’s out of the fire stations. Now we have no dedicated Medics. Great. Sounds like East County and West County got screwed in this deal. “There won’t be many obvious changes for the patient”, no just that the Fire Dept will do the billing and get paid instead of AMR. AMR will get their contracted money from the Fire Dept based on Unit Hours. BTW AMR has a one and one system. One Paramedic and One EMT on their ambulances.
Dede,
They took away the QRV for cost purposes. From the report (page 7)
Recommendations – Financial Issues (Page 7 of PDF)
The financial trends identified previously are expected to continue. The recommendations are based on reallocating existing funds from low value/high cost activities to those activities that benefit the patients and the System’s financial viability. Again, the overriding aim is to focus efforts on activities that benefit the patients and community health while eliminating activities that do not provide a significant contribution.
The following are some of the recommendations aimed at improved financial viability.
• Initiate a fee for patients who receive treatment at the scene, but decline transport, and increase ambulance charges to levels comparable with other northern California counties.
• Reduce System costs and reallocate funds to higher priority activities. Mechanisms to achieve cost reductions include:
o the consolidation of ambulance response zones into three
o establishing consistent response time and staffing requirements for the entire county,
o lengthening response times requirements by 60 seconds
o eliminating QRV units
o allowing first response to be provided at the BLS level
o dispatching first responders only on calls where they are likely to be beneficial to the patients
Anybody who reads the details of this stuff and thinks it’s an upgrade is fooling themselves.
You’re going to have a dispatcher decide if first responder(s) is necessary? So when it goes wrong, which it does more than people think, who is first in line to get sued?
That would be the County. Which means it comes out of everyone’s pocket because someone thought saving a buck on the front end was a good idea and wouldn’t have any consequences down the road.
Lengthening response times by 60 seconds is an attempt to “benefit patients”. Is that a new form of logic?
Dede, I don’t know the answers to your questions. Shouldn’t you ask the EMS people, fire people or county supervisors? Not picking on you, I just don’t understand why anyone has such difficulties making a simple phone call but maybe it’s just me. If I want an answer, I don’t usually look to get the right one from a random commenter here. Pick up the phone and call because their numbers are listed and they have accountability. If that is too much to ask they do have email. That’s what I do.
I was only trying to address jerry’s comment about ambulance crews being all EMTs? In the past they have not. I understand ambulances to be staffed with EMTs and not paramedics. Something about als service when we are contracted for bls? I don’t know the details.
it’s WaLt not Wait. I know it’s hard to see an l from and i.
Thanks Dede, I like your comments.
Sorry WALT. I have vision problems and that’s what sometimes happens when I look at letters. On another posting there was a gentleman using the name Wait I thought. Oh well.
No apology necessary. It took me a post or two to note you were writing wait instead of Walt. My vision ain’t so good these days either. No matter.
AMR units are 1 & 1.
One emt and one paramedic on the ambulances
Walt and all,
Prior to January 1 the far east county had 2 quick response vehicles, one in Brentwood and one out of Discovery Bay. These were paid for by AMR. They were 1 paramedic in a SUV with advanced life support equipment. They were AMR employees. These units did not transport. When 911 was called in their response area you would get a QRV, a fire engine, and a Transport ambulance staffed with a paramedic and an EMT or sometimes two paramedics depending on which ambulance was sent. This system was put in in east county because your firefighters are emts and not paramedics like most other jurisdictions. Hope this helps with some of the confusion.
So Vince, is the county designated an als county or bls county? Dont counties have some sort of designation for this? The whole thing is confusing and I think we are getting different stories on what is taking place. It feels like we are now in a free fall when it comes to our safe being. Your comments are helpful to me.
I worked out here from 1990 to 2000. There have always been medics on the ambulance. Most of the ambulances have 1 medic and 1 EMT and that has been the norm up until the present. Sometimes because of staffing issues or whatever, you’ll find 2 medics on an ambulance. AMR did have BLS ambulances with 2 EMT’s, but they were used for inter-facility transports and not 911 calls….but they no longer have them in contra cost I believe. I think sometimes the term EMT is used as a general statement including both medics and EMT’s…..medics are also known as EMT-P’s. So I’m wondering if maybe there lies some of the confusion?
This is a middle finger to far east county by Contra Costa BOS. Now we have lost two vital paramedics that we have had for 10 plus years. Our tax dollars paid to county health services paid for the QRVs. Now they have taken them away and put more burden on our already over burdened fire district. This is wrong by all means. If I was ECCFPD I would get an injunction and demand the same services in quantity remain that we have been paying for to the County Health Services Department for a decade. Keep in mind people. By this action you lose 2 paramedics and put that extra burden on our for district only to get lesser EMT service and they want a fees. People get smart your Supervisors are screwing you, the fire district, and all the senior citizens of east county.
Citizen Jim I don’t think you are right. The QRVs were an enhancement provided free of charge to the district. The county didn’t pay for them at all. They were an add on paid for by the ambulance company. I was told this by AMR when I talked to management over there. Doesn’t this all come from through county emergency services and the fire district before approval? I know it does. One would think the fire chiefs and county emergency services would have made a fuss if this wasn’t what they wanted. Do you really think you could get an injunction or are you just throwing random thoughts out to everyone hoping to get everyone pissy? I fail to see how the supervisors are promoting this. They oversee department heads whom make these decisions right? Besides, They just gave hundreds of thousands of $$ to this district and they didn’t have to. When is everyone going to stop bickering and causing so much drama? If I was a supervisor or city council, I would yank my money and spend it somewhere else. Who would blame them at this time?
Walt,
Nothing is free my friend. The QRV’s had a value of almost 1 million annually. The cost of those QRVs was part of a total contract. That contract was paid with our tax money via Contra Costa County Health Services. Don’t kid yourself on free stuff. The money was no part of ECCFPD monies from taxes. You and me got screwed by the BOS. Now you and me will pay $337. to the fire district for less of a service value ( Paramedic vs EMT ) while losing two more medical response people that we already pay for. You are right. The Cities should pull there funds and start their own departments. In recap, the thousands that you say the county gave the fire district is only half of what they took away from us with the QRV’s. Looks like we are getting takin by the politicians again ! Think about it.
I have thought about it citizen Jim. Then I sent some inquiry’s, made calls, found out that AMR the ambulance company threw in the qrvs for free. That came right from the offices at amr. I double checked with the county and verified. The qrvs were added to the contract for free at no cost to us. They have a value, but we were not being charged. Just like the fire department running medical calls at no charge until now. I do not agree that they should charge. I don’t think they can charge and that’ is where I know we are being taken. I am surprised that you are overlooking the fire department trying to charge us a fee to cover the recent raises since that is documented and instead you are making imaginary assumptions. I think you may have been overthinking it. Have you contacted amr, the county or talked to the fire department? Maybe give that a try and get back to us here. Thank you.
Walt…I believe they can charge for response. The city of Anaheim started the same program years ago and still does it to this day. The only difference is you can enroll in the ems response program and pay a flat fee every year….which is like $60-$80 a year, (Don’t know the exact amount) or you don’t pay the yearly and if you call its $300-$400 per call. I don’t think this went to a vote of the citizens when it was enacted….I may be wrong on that. Bit it was in response to higher costs of running medical calls and not getting extra funding. And I believe there are other cities and districts that charge per call too, but unsure which ones do.
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