Fire Agency to Aid Ambulance Service

The Ventura County Fire Department will join forces with the county’s largest ambulance company to expand paramedic services, the Board of Supervisors agreed Tuesday.

Under the plan, 14 county firefighters will become certified paramedics to augment the service provided by the 14 ambulances run by American Medical Response. AMR and the Fire Department will share the estimated $1.2 million cost to implement the program.

The county has contracted with AMR to provide ambulance service for more than 30 years. But in recent years, a booming population has made it increasingly difficult for the agency to reach calls in heavily congested areas within eight minutes--the time considered critical for saving a life.

In the past, firefighters have responded to emergencies faster than the ambulance company, authorities said, but couldn’t do anything beyond basic life-saving support, which is mainly CPR.

The plan will also restructure AMR’s dispatch system, rerouting all calls through the Fire Department. County fire dispatchers will determine who is closer to a call, a paramedic or a firefighter medic.

Ventura County Fire Chief Bob Roper said the new system could help shave critical seconds off response times.

Roper added that future hiring of firefighters will give preference to applicants with paramedic training.

Supervisors, who unanimously passed the plan, praised Roper and representatives of AMR for working together. Past attempts at similar arrangements have stalled because of competition concerns between the two agencies.