Agenda

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D.4

To:	Contra Costa County Fire Protection District Board of Directors
From:	Lewis T. Broschard III, Chief, Contra Costa Fire Protection District
Date:	October 11, 2022

Contra

Costa

County

Subject:

Advanced Life Support (ALS) - First Responder Contract with Contra Costa Emergency Medical Services Agency

APPROVE	OTHER
RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR	RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE

Action of Board On: 10/11/2022

APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED

OTHER

Clerks Notes:

VOTE OF SUPERVISORS

Contact:

Lewis T. Broschard III, Fire Chief, 925-941-3300

I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown.
ATTESTED: October 11, 2022
Monica Nino, County Administrator

BY:	, Deputy

RECOMMENDATION(S):

APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Fire Chief to execute the Advanced Life Support (ALS) First Responder Contract with Contra Costa Emergency Medical Services Agency providing revenues to the Fire District in an amount not to exceed $5,376,369 to provide pre-hospital emergency medical first responder services, for the period July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2025.

FISCAL IMPACT:

The contract provides Measure H funding of approximately $5.3 million over three fiscal years. There are costs associated with implementing certain programs and contractual requirements associated with this agreement, such as training programs, quality improvement oversight, and contract compliance. While some of these programs are current and already included in the District budget, others will be new expenses needed to comply with the full requirements of the agreement. A consultant will need to be engaged in order to meet the requirement of establishing EMS response time standards within the first twelve months of the agreement; this is not a cost currently accounted for in the FY 2022/23 budget.

BACKGROUND:

As a provider of advanced life support (ALS) paramedic first responder services, the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (District) is required to have a written agreement with the local emergency medical system authority (CCCEMSA) to participate in the emergency medical system, pursuant to California Code of Regulations. This three-year agreement requires the District to provide ALS first responder services throughout its jurisdiction, except for those communities recently annexed (Brentwood, Oakley, and Discovery Bay), perform certain mandated training on a variety of emergency medical services topics, provide timely reports to the CCCEMSA on a multitude of subjects and contractual requirements, as well as have all training curriculum approved by the CCCEMSA prior to delivery of the training. Additionally, the agreement requires the District to establish response time standards for EMS calls and to have those standards developed and approved by the Board of Directors within one year of executing the agreement.

This agreement provides revenue to the District that partially offsets the costs of providing ALS first response services. The costs of supporting this level of service include medical control and oversight by a licensed physician; disposable and durable supplies, including medications and EMS equipment; capital equipment such as cardiac monitors and communications equipment; and the recruiting, hiring, training, and staffing of paramedic firefighters.

This agreement requires a significant level of effort for the District to comply with all the elements contained within the agreement. The District will be evaluating the need for additional staffing and potential consulting services needed to ensure the District is fulfilling the intent and complying with all the requirements of the agreement.

CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:

If this contract is not approved, the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (CCCFPD) will not be in compliance with the California Code of Regulations requirement that an advanced life support (ALS) provider have a written agreement with the local emergency medical system authority to participate in the emergency medical system, and CCCFPD will not be eligible for Measure H First Responder and ALS program support. This would negatively impact patient care within the CCCFPD service area.

CLERK'S ADDENDUM

Speakers: No name given; Liz Ritchie; Marshall Bennett, Director of Emergency Medical Services.