Consultants report Del Norte ambulance meets current contract but recommend changes to dispatch, transparency and deployment

Endpoint EMS Consulting presented the first-phase assessment of Del Norte County’s emergency medical services (EMS) system and recommended policy and procurement changes to improve response equity, transparency and operational coordination.

The consulting team reported that Del Norte Ambulance is meeting the minimum requirements of its current contract based on available 911 data. Nancy LaPalle of Endpoint said stakeholders praised local collaboration and paramedic-level service but identified weaknesses in radio and dispatch communications, long out-of-county transports, high staff turnover on ambulances, and a perceived lack of transparency around contractor performance.

Endpoint and North Coast EMS analyzed two years of 911 medical calls and overlaid them on census and geographic data to show where calls concentrate and where response times are longest. John Eaglesham of Endpoint explained the mapping method: “The yellow circles are created when 1 or more calls occur in the same area.” The analysis showed that higher-population areas typically see 911 responses within about 10 minutes, while remote areas — particularly the Klamath area — commonly experience much longer response times, often 30 minutes or more.

Sutter Coast Hospital provided clinical data to the consultants. Endpoint reported Sutter Coast’s 2024 emergency-department volume of about 20,000 visits with roughly 3,600 patients transported by ambulance; the hospital also transferred patients out by ground and air (reported counts were 116 ground critical-care transfers and 411 air transfers in 2024). Endpoint said the hospital is an active clinical partner in oversight of paramedic care.

Key recommendations from Endpoint included: - Strengthen dispatch capability and pre-arrival medical instructions; consider whether dispatch should be staffed and funded in a different structure than the current sheriff’s dispatch model. - Improve transparency and performance metrics for ambulance contractors in the next ambulance RFP and contract, including clear operational expectations and reporting requirements. - Consider dynamic ambulance deployment models and additional basing options (for example, an ambulance base in Klamath) to reduce long response times in rural areas. - Better document and share emergency-care activities provided by fire agencies and law enforcement so the county has a complete clinical picture of prehospital care.

During public comment, a resident urged the board not to proceed with a full RFP process if the current contractor is adequate; another speaker representing local business and hospital leadership urged reconsideration of grandfathering an exclusive operating area so improvements could begin sooner. Supervisors and staff asked technical questions about data sources; Endpoint said the consultants used available 911 and CAD data but noted gaps where dispatch systems do not produce the requested exportable reports.

The report will be posted on North Coast EMS’s website and written commenter feedback will be reviewed for an addendum. Endpoint said the next project phases will be to draft an ambulance RFP and support procurement and contract development.