The ambulance ordinance was completely re-written and approved by the Board as Ordinance 756. All hospitals in the County received specialized site visits to review each hospital's capabilities for treating ill and injured children according to state guidelines. The County has a signed agreement with the Idyllwild Fire Protection District to cover the communities of Idyllwild and Pine Cove. This agreement, for the first time, set response time and performance standards for emergency ambulances. The AMR Agreement also ensures ambulance coverage on the mountain plateau region and transport of mental health patients on a 5150 hold.
Early defibrillation is the key to saving patients in cardiac arrest.
Over the past four years the number of defibrillators on first responder vehicles has increased from 40 to over 120 and 22 additional lives have been saved. The cities of Riverside, Corona and Norco in cooperation with AMR and the EMS Agency are beginning implementation of first responder paramedic programs in their respective cities, thereby ensuring even faster advance life support treatments to critical patients in those areas. In addition, more citizens must be trained in CPR if the County is to improve its cardiac arrest save rate. While various data systems have been considered and one partially implemented, the EMS system still lacks timely, accurate data regarding prehospital patient care, treatment and outcomes. State law requires the EMS Agency to have signed contracts with all providers of emergency ambulance services.