COUNTYWIDE : Firefighter Training, Ambulances Studied
The Ventura County Board of Supervisors has ordered a study to determine whether firefighters should be trained as paramedics and another on the cost and performance of the county’s ambulance service.
Supervisors Maria VanderKolk and Vicky Howard called on Tuesday for a study on how much paramedic training firefighters need, how much it would cost and where the money should come from.
Supervisor Maggie Erickson Kildee asked for an audit of rates charged and response times for the county’s three ambulance companies--Pruner, Ojai Ambulance Service and Gold Coast.
The studies were ordered in response to complaints from residents in eastern Ventura County, who say ambulance service is slow and expensive, and lobbying from firefighters who say they can do a better job with proper training. Both studies are due in 60 days.
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