Title
Chief Administrative Office recommending the Board:
1) Receive a presentation from the Emergency Medical Service Agency on Ambulance Services in County Service Area (CSA) 3;
2) Direct staff to return in January with updated ambulance rates and a plan for Fiscal Year 2024-25 Budget for CSA 3 Ambulance Services;
3) Provide direction to staff to work with CalTahoe JPA on cost savings measures; and
4) Provide direction to staff to begin discussions with the El Dorado County Emergency Services Authority on a successor agreement for prehospital advanced life support, ambulance, and dispatch services in County Service Area 7.
FUNDING: Fee for Service, Federal American Rescue Plan Act Funding, and General Fund.
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DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
The County is responsible for ensuring the provision of 911 emergency medical services as set forth in the County’s ambulance ordinance.
El Dorado County Transport and Dispatch Services Structure
Transport and dispatch services for CSA 3 South Shore area are contracted to the California Tahoe Emergency Services Operations Authority, herein referred to as Cal Tahoe JPA. Cal Tahoe JPA has been under contract to provide transport operational services since 2001, and their current contract expires August 31, 2031. Transport and dispatch operational services for the area of Meeks Bay in CSA 3 are contracted to the North Tahoe Fire Protection District. North Tahoe has a current contract that expires June 30, 2026.
The contract for services in CSA 3 must be awarded through a competitive process. The last Request for Proposal process was conducted in the Spring of 2021, and the contract was awarded that Fall. Cal-Tahoe JPA was the only provider to respond. The proposal provided for the continuation of the same hybrid model which includes a combination of fire-based civilian personnel; however, the prior contract had been a fixed fee agreement, and the new proposal and resulting contract reflect the cost increases that have occurre...
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