1993 AGN APR 27 I02 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

CITY OF COLTON AGENDA REPORT For Council Meeting of April 27, 1993 TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council FROM: David Hall, Fire Chief4id SUBJECT: Consideration of Fire Department's Paramedic and Ambulance Services BACKGROUND: Date: April 22, 1993 From the lung motor of the 20's to the sophisticated telemetry radios and heart monitoring equipment carried by our Fire Department paramedics today, the City of Colton has, through the actions of numerous City Councils, attempted to provide to its citizens the best medical care technology available. We have moved from Red Cross First Aid Certified firefighters, where requests for assistance were a minor function of the Fire Department, to a highly trained medical organization and delivery system that occupies 80% of our time and resources. This City has moved forward through the years with a commitment to its citizens that is obvious and commendable. However, the time has come for this City Council to take its place, along with those councils before it, to make yet another commitment to its citizens. That commitment is to allow the City to move from a private provider of ambulance transportation to one of Fire Department Paramedic Ambulances. DISCUSSION: The issue of public agency medical transportation has become a state wide topic in the fire service as well as the California League of Cities, the court system, and the legislative process. The legal issues surrounding this proposal has been summarized as an attachment to this report and I will defer any legal questions to the City Attorney. Staff's proposal is simply this: Continue this City's commitment to a better system of patient care, provided by Fire Department Paramedic Ambulances. A system that will require no additional personnel. A system that will respond faster, provide a consistent higher skill level at all times, and provide it with dollars that will remain in the City to support our efforts. Attachments: Page I of ---Z— Item No. �q7 1