Sonoma County Fire District, Medic Ambulance report high compliance for EOA 1; council seeks clearer data

Representatives of Sonoma County Fire District and Medic Ambulance told the Santa Rosa City Council they are meeting the county’s response standards in Exclusive Operating Area (EOA) 1 and described equipment, staffing and training investments since taking over the ground ambulance contract in January 2024.

Scott Westerope, Fire Chief (Sonoma County Fire District), and Jimmy Pearson, president and COO of Medic Ambulance, presented a slide deck and compliance statistics that the presenters said covered April 2024 through February 2025. The presentation singled out Santa Rosa urban zones where county compliance rates in some months exceeded 98 percent. "The service has never been better," Pearson said, listing specialized assets added to the system including bariatric ambulances, 4x4 units, ATV ambulances, an ambulance bus and upgraded cardiac monitors.

Presenters described a posting plan that can scale up to 21 ambulances on peak days (15 ALS, 6 BLS), and said the contractor has hired local personnel and reduced reliance on travel medics. The district also said it has agreements that reimburse Santa Rosa for paramedic‑equipped engine companies and pays for some paramedic staffing on engines that assist ambulance compliance.

Councilmembers pressed for clearer, “digestible” measures for elected review. Councilmember Krupke asked whether the compliance numbers measure paramedic arrival times, ambulance only arrival times, or whether a fire engine on scene extends the ambulance compliance clock. Presenters and staff explained county compliance is measured by dispatch priority codes (echo, delta, charlie, bravo, alpha); the county’s FirstWatch/OCU system adjudicates late responses and applies corrections or exemptions before compliance tallies are finalized.

Chief Westerope and Medic staff said the county’s published reports show Ambulance EOA 1 compliance at high levels in the Santa Rosa core while more rural zones are harder to meet. They acknowledged differences in system design and measurement across counties and said the city’s firefighter‑paramedic presence on engines extends the ambulance compliance clock in many zones. The district offered to provide more granular breakout: how often a fire engine arrives first and in‑service time (on‑scene duration), and a posting plan showing ambulance locations by staffing level.

Mayor Mark Stapp and councilmembers asked for a digestible comparative report so the council can evaluate whether the system is meeting obligations without relying only on contractor assertions. Councilmember Rogers and others sought data on on‑scene durations, how often engines versus ambulances are first on scene, and the share of system revenue attributable to Santa Rosa calls. Presenters agreed to provide the requested breakdowns and more timely clarity from the county data feed.

No council action was required; the presentation concluded with council direction to return with more concise, comparable compliance metrics. Councilmembers praised recruitment and training investments but emphasized the need for transparent, auditable measures for future oversight.