Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout922456 ORDINANCE NO. 922 ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF UKIAH ESTABLISHING AMBULANCE SERVICE IN THE CITY OF UKIAH The City Council of the City of Ukiah hereby ordains as follows. SECTION ONE. FINDINGS. The City Council finds and declares: '1. Continuously since early 1943, the City Fire Department has provided pre- hospital emergency medical services both within and outside the limits of the City of Ukiah. 2. Since July 1, 1989, when the contract between the City and the Ukiah Valley Fire Protection District terminated, the City has provided those services primarily inside the City limits. 3.a. Beginning early in the 1940's the Fire Department responded to medical aid calls and rescue incidents. It provided first aid and "resusitator" services. b. In 1958 the Fire Department began providing ambulance service as needed in the City limits. The Fire Department ambulance did respond outside the City limits, south to Squaw Rock, north to the top of the 101 grade, and east to the Lake County line. It has responded as far west as Boonville. c. In 1960 all regular paid, public safety employees in the Fire Department received formal first aid training. This was followed by CPR training in 1962. d. In 1971 the first Fire Department members were trained to national stan- dards level or EMT I. In 1978, the first Fire Department members were upgraded to the level of limited advanced life support, or EMT II. e. Since 1978 the Fire Department has responded in a variety of pre-hospital emergency medical care capacities. This has included operation of an ambulance during the period of 1974 to 1982, and limited advanced life support services since 1978. 4. On behalf of its residents the City currently expends approximately $1.49 Million to operate and maintain its Fire Department. 5. The City staffs and maintains the Fire Department in order to respond 24 hours per day, 365 days per year to fire and medical aid emergencies. EMT I training and cer- tification is a minimum job qualification for all public safety employees in the Fire Depart- ment. The Department has begun a program to certify all its public safety personnel as m ' ' MT II s and to work with the county EMS Agency to establish an EMT P or paramedic training and certification program in Mendocino County. Once that program is estab- lished, the Department intends to certify as many of its fire safety employees as possible as EMT P's. Currently, the Fire Department employs 5 employees who have received their EMT II certification and an additional 5 employees are in EMT II training. The paid staff is supported by 1 volunteer EMT II. 6. With a relatively modest additional expenditure, as compared to the cost of operating an independent ambulance service, the City can add ambulance service to the emergency medical aid services currently provided by its Fire Department. 7. The City has recently consolidated its police and fire departments under a single director of public safety to enhance the coordinated delivery of police, fire, medical aid and ambulance emergency responses to 911 calls for emergency aid. 8. No true market applies to the provision of ambulance service, because the calls are dispatched under emergency conditions by the City's public safety department. The consumer does not select among alternate providers based on cost, quality of service and so forth. Rather, when a medical emergency occurs, someone calls 911 and the City dis- patches an ambulance which provides the service. 9. Providing ambulance service through the Fire Department produces the follow- ing benefits for the residents of the City of Ukiah: a. Makes full use of the existing investment in plant, equipment and staff training by providing a coordinated response to all public safety emergencies through the consolidated department of public safety; b. Reduces response time by avoiding a transfer of 911 calls to the private ambulance service; c. Maximizes coordination of 911 dispatch, including police, fire, medical aid and ambulance services; provider, providers; d. Allows City to determine cost of ambulance service rather than private when no true market mechanism independently regulates charges by private e. Allows City to determine quality of service as compared to exclusive regulation by local EMS Agency which can only establish minimum standards; f. City can develop higher quality service at lower cost than private provider; g. Reduces current duplication of service which results when both private ambulance provider and Fire Department must respond to single call; and h. Insures consistency of service and improvement over time, because City provided service is not subject to sale, bankruptsy or other risks associated with private providers. 10. The benefits of a City provided ambulance service cannot be realized unless the Fire Department ambulance service responds to all 911 pre-hospital emergency medi- cal aid calls originating within the City limits. 11. Under Government Code section 38794 and Health and Safety Code section 1797.201 the City has the statutory right to provide the exclusive ALS or limited ALS am- bulance service in the City or the exclusive ambulance response to 911 emergency medical aid calls. 457 SECTION TWO. EXCLUSIVE AMBULANCE RESPONSE. Chapter 4 of Division 6 of the Ukiah City Code is hereby entitled AMBULANCE SERVICE and new sections 5300-5303 are hereby added thereto to read as follows: § 5300:911 DISPATCH: The Department of Public Safew shall dispatch all 911 emergency response calls orig!nating within the city limits of the Uity of Ukiah in accordance with the enhanced 911 sermce available on and after September 1, 1991. § 5301: POLICE, FIRE, EMERGENCY MEDICAL AID AND AMBULANCE RESPONSE: The Department of Public Safety ("Department") shall develop protocols for dis- patching police, fire, medical aid and ambulance service in response to 911 emergency aid calls that insure the coordinated delivery of services. In furtherance thereof, the Depart- ment shall develop protocols that insure that the City Police Department responds first to emer!gency calls for police aid and the City Fire Department responds first to emergency calls tor fire, medical aid and ambulance service. As used herein "emergency call" means a call for help where it is evident that im- mediate assistance is required to avoid a risk of harm, loss or damage to persons or property. § 5302: DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC SAFETY AUTHORIZED TO ENTER AGREEMENTS: On and after the effective date of this Chapter, the Director of Public Safety with the approval of the City Manager is hereby authorized to enter agreements with persons and public or private organizations for the following purposes: 1. To provide for back up, training and other operational assistance to its Police and Fire Departments in furtherance of the provision of police, fire, medical aid and ambulance responses to public safety incidents, including emergency calls, but not includ- ing emergencies as defined in section 5101 of this Code; provided, however, that any such agreement requiring an expenditure of city funds shall first be approved by the City Coun- cil; and 2. To integrate the provision of emergency medical services in the City of Ukiah into the Mendocino County emergency medical services system and to coordinate the provision of such services throughout Mendocino County; provided, however, that without the prior approval of the City Council no such agreement shall require the expen- diture of City funds or divest the City of its authority under Government Code section 38794 and Health and Safety Code section 1797.201 to dispatch all 911 emergency calls for ambulance service originating within the city limits of the City of Ukiah to its Fire Depart- ment. No such agreement shall reduce the level of pre-hospital emergency medical serv- ices provided by the Fire Department within the city limits on and before June 1, 1980, and continuously since said date, until the City Council conducts a public hearing on such agreement and provides notice thereof pursuant to Government Code section 6062. Automatic aid and mutual aid agreements require City Council approval. 458 § 5303: PRIVATE AMBULANCE PROVIDERS: No person or organization shall provide ambulance service within the city limits of the City of Ukiah except in compliance with the provisions of this Chapter, including any agreements entered under the authority of this Chapter. SECTION THREE. PUBLICATION AND EFFECTIVE DATE. This Ordinance shall become effective 30 days after its adoption and shall be pub- lished as required by law. Introduced by title only on November 6, 1991, by the following roll call vote: AYES: Councilmembers McMichael, Mayor Henderson NOES: None Wattenburger, Shoemaker, Schneiter and ABSENT: None November 2 Adopted on 0, 1991, by the following roll call vote: AYES: Counci lmembers McMichael, Mayor Henderson NOES: None ABSENT: None AqT~ST: :I~ay, C~/Clerk Wattenburger, Shoemaker, Schneiter and Henderson, M~yor