Changes ahead for Santa Barbara County ambulance services

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. - Ambulance services provided by American Medical Response will be going through changes in Santa Barbara County.

The Board of Supervisors has voted to make the contract non-exclusive starting in March of 2024.

The Santa Barbara County Fire Department has already come forward with its plan for ambualnce services and the issue has been heavily debated.

Fire Chief Mark Hartwig says there are already 35 new ambulance vehicles that have been ordered and his staff will be ready to answer the county's calls. Already the fire department has ambulance services at its UCSB station, in the Lompoc Valley (where needs have grown) and in Cuuyama.

The two services will be dispatched on a priority basis depending on the location of the ambulance crews.

The issue brought a standing room only crowd out to the Supervisors meeting. The speakers included fire chief's from throughout the county, business leaders, and representatives with AMR.

A staff report showed in a review and rankings based on a rating system for ambulance service plans that AMR came out on top.

The debate over the contract including an extensive review of services and operational plans began last year.

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