Fountain Valley transitions to in-house ambulance service, adds 19 fire department jobs

The Fountain Valley City Council unanimously approved the addition of 19 positions to the fire department’s roster this week as part of the city’s plan to transition from third-party ambulance services to an in-house crew.

The 12 full-time and six part-time ambulance operators would be considered entry-level positions earning between $18.50 and $22.49 per hour, according to reports by city staff. They would be part of two teams that would live at the fire station and be on call 24 hours a day.

“The structure is designed to encourage these operators to eventually promote into firefighting roles,” Fountain Valley Human Resources Director Tania Knauerhaze told the council during its regular meeting Tuesday.

The position of division chief to take on administrative and management duties was also created.

The updates follow up on a plan approved by the City Council in September to shift from a third-party ambulance provider, Falck, to in-house service. The company is currently contracted to operate one ambulance on call 24 hours a day, and another between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.

Falck’s contract expires in December, which is when the department intends to have its own ambulance program online. The city expects to be bringing on new crew members by July.

In September, Tim Saiki, then serving as the city’s acting fire chief, explained the new division chief that would be brought on would “be able to oversee fire operations, training, EMS, take a lot of the assignments our battalion chiefs currently handle … and allow our shift battalion chiefs to get out more with their crews and train.”

It will cost the city $2,171,989 to create their own ambulance teams, compared to $1,779,148 to extend Fountain Valley’s deal with Falck for another year. That figure includes one-time purchases like four new ambulances, which the city bought in October for $1,406,608.

Federal funds helped cover much of the startup costs. Fountain Valley has received $1,415,468 million and has been waiting on approval of an additional $566,710 in grants provided under the Voluntary Rate Range Intergovernmental Transfer program administered by Medi-Cal. That’s an initiative meant to support programs that aid beneficiaries of low-cost healthcare, like CalOptima in Orange County.

In subsequent years, having its own ambulances will cost Fountain Valley upwards of about $40,000 more than contracting out the service, according to estimates by city staff.

“The benefits far exceed the cost that we’re going to be encountering,” Saiki said, explaining that having two teams based at the city’s fire stations and running around the clock will improve response times to medical emergencies. It will also allow the department to run more efficiently.

“An example, right now our fire engines respond out on help-up calls where we’re sending a 45,000-pound engine down the street to help someone up off the floor. So, [with in-house ambulance crews] we’re able to utilize our ambulance operators and our city rigs to handle some of those more service-like calls, and keep our fire apparatus ready and available to respond.”

Saiki said folding ambulance service into the fire department will help improve the agency’s culture and recruitment by creating a foothold for entry-level employees to grow in the department. He added that he has seen talented volunteer firefighters come and go because there weren’t any roles for them to advance into.

Other startup costs include construction at existing fire stations to allow them to house the new ambulances. Fountain Valley has budgeted about $100,000 for that work, but hopes to pay significantly less than that, considering the city plans on decommissioning Fire Station 1 on Bushard Street and replacing it with a new facility within three to five years, Saiki said.