Why 35 New Ambulances Are Sitting Idle in Santa Barbara County — And What Happens Next

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. — Santa Barbara County taxpayers are footing the bill for dozens of brand-new ambulances that have yet to be put into service.

Currently, 35 new ambulances are sitting in a private hangar at the Santa Maria Airport, costing taxpayers $15,000 a month in rent until the county decides what to do with them.

For more than 40 years, American Medical Response (AMR) has provided ambulance services in Santa Barbara County.

In 2022, as AMR’s contract neared expiration, county officials launched a competitive bidding process, citing concerns about the company’s performance. Both AMR and the Santa Barbara County Fire Department submitted proposals.

“We could do the ambulance contract better by providing more ambulances on the street, which would reduce wait times and increase survivability rates,” said Scott Safechuck, a spokesperson for County Fire.

To compete in the bidding process, County Fire Chief Mark Hartwig asked the county to lease-purchase 35 ambulances.

“We got reports that the county, in the middle of the competition, bought ambulances that were never on the Board of Supervisors’ agenda,” said Andy Caldwell, a conservative government watchdog and executive director of the Coalition of Labor, Agriculture & Business.

The county’s Debt Advisory Board approved Hartwig’s request in May 2023 at a cost of $3.5 million.

An independent review panel evaluated the proposals and awarded AMR a score more than 300 points higher than that of the County Fire Department. Despite AMR's higher score, in September 2023, the board awarded the contract to County Fire, citing potential improvements in response time.

“The bidding process was not about the lowest responsible bidder,” said Supervisor Bob Nelson. “It was more of what I would consider a beauty contest.”

This decision led AMR to file a lawsuit against the county, alleging that the competitive process had been improperly bypassed.

During the legal dispute, California Attorney General Rob Bonta intervened by filing an amicus brief in support of AMR’s position. In the brief, Bonta expressed concerns that the county's actions might have bypassed oversight mandated by the Emergency Medical Services Act. Specifically, he indicated that if AMR's allegations were proven true, the county’s approach could undermine the act’s objectives, which are designed to ensure equitable and high-quality emergency medical services statewide.

“The county wasted $11.1 million trying to steal an ambulance contract,” Caldwell said.

Jackie Ruiz, communications and outreach coordinator with the county, could not corroborate Caldwell’s $11.1 million figure but said it could be a rough estimate, including legal fees and staff time spent setting up the ambulance contract and handling litigation.

In February, the board reversed course, rescinded the contract from County Fire, and awarded AMR an exclusive ambulance contract valued at $1 billion. The contract includes an option for County Fire to serve as a subcontractor in Lompoc, Carpinteria, Summerland and Montecito.

“I voted to end an unwinnable lawsuit that was already costing taxpayers millions of dollars,” said Board Chair Laura Capps.

The new contract reduces required response times by two minutes compared to the previous agreement. AMR must meet response time standards 90% of the time. If the company falls short for three consecutive months, it would be considered in breach of contract.

Under the contract, AMR ambulances have about eight minutes to reach life-threatening emergencies in urban areas. In rural areas, the response time requirement is about 15 minutes, and in designated wilderness areas, it is about 31 minutes.

All emergency medical calls will go through the new Regional Fire Communications Center. A newly formed 16-member Emergency Medical Care Committee will also review emergency medical services in the county and make recommendations to the Board of Supervisors. The contract increases data transparency through a clinical scorecard that ensures ambulances not only meet response time requirements but also provide high-quality care.

Despite these enhancements, David Neels, president of the Fire Chiefs Association of Santa Barbara County, is not convinced.

“So not only are we not seeing an increase in ambulances, we’re seeing a reduction in paramedic ambulances in Santa Barbara County,” Neels said. “We’re seeing an increase in response times. We’re also seeing a significant increase—up to 35%—in transport rates, and that will be borne by the citizens of the county.”

The association has expressed skepticism about AMR’s adherence to response time requirements in the past. In July 2024, prior to the new contract, the association held a press conference alleging that countywide, AMR was failing to meet its 90% compliance standard. In some locations, such as Goleta, Orcutt, Buellton and Santa Ynez, compliance was reportedly below 80%. The association also claimed that data provided to them between Jan. 1, 2020, and Oct. 1, 2023, contained duplicate and missing records.

A spokesperson for AMR said the company is in compliance with required response times.

“The response times provided on the county website have been validated as accurate and official, and have been approved by the county’s Contract Compliance Committee,” the spokesperson said.

Here's a comparison: In 2022, a basic life support transport cost about $2,000. After the recent rate hike, that cost is now closer to $3,000. In Ventura, the rate is around $2,500, making ambulance transport costs in Santa Barbara County some of the highest in the state.

AMR says the higher rate covers the new contract enhancements and increased county fees.

The board is expected to decide in April whether County Fire will provide service to Montecito, Summerland, Carpinteria and Lompoc. If it does, the board will later determine what to do with the 35 ambulances.