Laguna weighing whether to get its own ambulances

Laguna Beach is exploring whether to acquire its own ambulances or contract with a private company after the county decided this year to remove Doctor’s Ambulance Service as the primary provider for nearby cities served by the Orange County Fire Authority.

Laguna has its own Fire Department and is not affected by the decisions of the Fire Authority. But because the city has its own contract with Doctor’s, officials have been concerned that with the increasing absence of the company from the area, response times in Laguna could be compromised.

Also, Doctor’s is not required to keep ambulances in Laguna, though the city rents a spot at one of its fire stations so an ambulance could be parked there.

The Laguna council in June approved paying a consultant, AP Triton LLC, $35,000 to study the costs of the city having its own ambulances.

Fire Chief Jeff LaTendresse said he is hoping the consultant can provide a report to the council by early fall. He said the city wants to guarantee the same level of service to residents while keeping costs to a minimum.

The city has contracted with Doctor’s since 1996, and the current agreement expires March 31, 2016. The city can terminate the contract with Doctor’s at any time with or without cause, according to LaTendresse.

The service is required to meet response time requirements 96% of the time.

Initial research indicates that cities with their own ambulances have reduced response times and improved service while generating added revenue, according to a city staff report.

That has been the case in Huntington Beach, which has had its own ambulance fleet for more than 20 years, Fire Chief Patrick McIntosh wrote in an email.

The conversion resulted in a $250,000 savings to the city’s general fund in its first year and an 18% improvement in paramedic response times, McIntosh said.

He added that Huntington Beach fit all eight of its engines with ambulance equipment for transporting patients, creating a more efficient process.

Laguna fire officials are also considering levying a first-responder fee on non-residents who call 911, the staff report said.

LaTendresse gave the example of a dehydrated hiker who requested help while on a trail last weekend. Firefighters spent two hours with the woman, who does not live in Lagina, giving her an IV and offering medication, which she refused.

“There was no bill,” LaTendresse said. “That was a significant commitment of our resources.”

AP Triton LLC will also recommend whether Laguna should adopt the first-responder fee.

Earlier this year, Orange County supervisors approved a five-year restructuring plan that removed Doctor’s as the primary ambulance service for Lake Forest, Mission Viejo and San Juan Capistrano.

The reorganization stemmed in part from a 2013 state mandate that the Fire Authority be replaced by the county Health Care Agency as the agency that assigns ambulance providers. But ambulance providers have alleged that the Health Care Agency bidding process, which involves selecting panels of medical professionals to recommend companies for certain cities, is unfair.