After years of disputes over ambulance services, American Medical Response and the Santa Barbara County Fire Department will both continue as providers, according to a conditional settlement agreement reached in court Thursday.
The county Board of Supervisors meets Tuesday to consider a 4-year contract with AMR including a subcontract offer for County Fire to take over services in some areas.
If the contract is approved, AMR will file to dismiss its lawsuit against the county.
The company sued after the Board of Supervisors granted contracts to County Fire and denied contracts to AMR through a new permit system in 2023.
As part of the settlement agreement, the county will repeal the ordinance that created that system.
AMR has provided emergency medical and ambulance services in the county since 1981, and currently serves most areas except Cuyama, Vandenberg Village and UC Santa Barbara, which are served by County Fire.
If the Fire Department takes on the subcontract, it could become the provider for the Lompoc, Montecito, Summerland and Carpinteria areas.
The contract, if approved, “lays out that AMR will be providing this subcontract to Fire… and Fire is now evaluating if they want to be the subcontractor to take over these zones,” county spokeswoman Kelsey Gerckens Buttitta said.
“They need to see if it makes business sense for them to be taking over those areas.”
That likely won’t be decided right away.
“We just received the contract and board letter, and we’re looking to see how that will impact us,” Fire Chief Mark Hartwig said.
As part of the contract, AMR is installing automated external defibrillators in the community for public access; developing non-ambulance transportation for patients with behavioral health emergencies; and doing new public education programs, the company said.
“This agreement not only brings stability to the EMS system but also ensures that Santa Barbara County patients will continue to receive the high-quality emergency medical care they deserve,” AMR Vice President of Operations Michael Rice said in a statement Thursday.
“Our priority has always been our patients, our employees, and the community,” Rice said. “AMR’s unwavering commitment to Santa Barbara County remains as strong as ever, and we look forward to continuing to serve this community with excellence, innovation, and compassion.”
The contract includes options to renew through 2033, AMR said, “ensuring much-needed system improvements and stability for the county’s EMS workforce.”
Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting starts at 9 a.m. in Santa Maria.
It will be held in the Joseph Centeno Betteravia Government Administrative Building, Board Hearing Room, at 511 East Lakeside Parkway. It will also be livestreamed on the county website and YouTube page.
Differences From Current Contract
The conditional settlement agreement includes a new 4-year contract, with an option to extend it.
“This is not an extension of the existing contract, but it is an extension of AMR providing ambulance services in the same scope and manner with some enhancements,” according to County Counsel.
Those enhancements include shorter response time standards for Priority 1 calls (7 minutes 59 seconds for urban areas), more data transparency on patient care, higher clinical standards, and more oversight, according to the county.
The county created an advisory board to oversee the contract, the Emergency Medical Care Committee, including hospital emergency department managers, Public Health employees, Fire Department representatives, and community members.
Another improvement to emergency medical services is the new Regional Fire Communications Center, which consolidates dispatchers for fire and medical calls in one place, Gerckens Buttitta said.
The new building is adjacent to the Emergency Operations Center on Cathedral Oaks Road near Santa Barbara.
“All emergency medical calls will go through the new Regional Fire Communications Center, allowing for enhanced collaboration between Fire and AMR and the implementation of countywide Emergency Medical Dispatch to provide pre-arrival instructions and getting the appropriate resources to where they are needed as quickly as possible,” Gerckens Buttitta said.
The RFCC is not open yet, but the county expects to start operating it sometime this spring.
Contract History
The county initiated a bid process for an exclusive provider in 2022. AMR and County Fire both submitted proposals and a review panel ranked AMR on top.
However, the Board of Supervisors rejected that and went for the permit system with potentially multiple providers. The supervisors approved County Fire’s permits and rejected AMR’s permit application, and AMR sued.
A Superior Court judge sided with AMR and granted an injunction to the permits.
AMR has been operating in a court-ordered contract extension since March 2024.
Local fire chiefs and some city officials have loudly called for County Fire to take over emergency medical services and ambulance services from AMR, saying it could improve response times and medical outcomes.
Meanwhile, AMR pointed to its track record of compliance and top-ranked bid proposal.
“For over 40 years, AMR has served Santa Barbara County with an impressive record of clinical excellence, consistently exceeding performance benchmarks. The resolution of this dispute marks an important step forward for the county’s EMS system and the dedicated healthcare professionals who have long provided life-saving services in the community,” AMR said in a statement Thursday.
