Seaside Fire & Rescue staff have discussed the possible need of an ambulance to supplement Medix services for a few years.

Seaside is considering its own city-operated ambulance to supplement Medix, Clatsop County’s transport service. 

City councilors endorsed moving forward with the proposal, including formal negotiations with Medix and county agencies.

Seaside Fire & Rescue staff have discussed the possible need for an ambulance for a few years, Seaside Fire Chief Joey Daniels said.

“Now, due to the demands of the last few years and the increase in our on-scene times for medical calls — sometimes more than one hour — have seen the need to immediately consider adding an ambulance to transport when Medix is delayed,” Daniels said.

Locally and nationwide, emergency services are seeing a shortage of paramedics, Seaside Fire Division Chief for Operations and Training David Rankin said in a presentation to City Council on May 8.

The number of calls has steadily increased over the past 10 years, which amounts to greater stress on the system and the potential for delayed response time, Daniels said in a report to city staff. Seaside has experienced this first-hand, with crews unable to leave a medical scene because the ambulance service is unable to make it there in adequate time.

Last September, city and fire department staff met and discussed the possible service. Fire Department staff researched department-based emergency medical service transport and contacted Medix and other government agencies.

They met with Tom Strecker, the general manager of Medix, who offered support to the proposal in January. During the meeting, both Medix and the city agreed that this would benefit the 911 system in Seaside and the county.

In addition to Seaside’s own incidents, Seaside Fire would respond when available to emergency medical requests where Medix is delayed more than 15 minutes. The department would consider additional mutual aid support in Clatsop County to Nehalem Bay for a mass casualty incident.

Calls coming into 911 would be transferred to Medix, Rankin said. Medix could then request an ambulance from Seaside.

Seaside would bill customers through a third-party company, Seaside City Manager Spencer Kyle said.

The department’s current budget would be able to absorb the cost of purchasing used equipment, Daniels said.

Even with approval to move forward, it will take anywhere from two to four months to be online and ready, depending on the availability of a used ambulance and our having time to outfit it going into the summer, Rankin said.

New equipment could cost $250,000 or more and would take up to two years for delivery. A used ambulance from an agency in Oregon could be available to serve basic needs for between $50,000 to $75,000.

The service could bring a significant upgrade in the time it will take someone needing transport to the hospital to get the service they need, Kyle said at the council meeting.

A city ambulance would also decrease the time firefighters would need to be at a scene and enable them to get back to the station faster.

The service may also provide a revenue stream for the city, Kyle said.