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Fire chief tells council EMS calls and lift assists rose; paramedic squad planned
Summary
Paso Robles Fire Chief Jonathan Stornetta reported a 4% increase in department responses year over year, driven largely by medical calls and lift assists. Chief Stornetta described staffing steps including a planned paramedic squad, wildfire preparedness work and community risk‑reduction efforts.
Paso Robles Fire Chief Jonathan Stornetta presented the department’s annual report at the May 6 City Council meeting, summarizing call trends, wildfire preparedness, and staffing plans.
Key takeaways
- Call volume: The department reported a 4% increase in responses compared with the previous year. The majority of calls remain emergency medical services (about 70%), with a notable number of lift assists (helping people up with no transport) and increased calls to residential care facilities.
- Drivers of demand: Stornetta attributed growing EMS demand to an aging population, a shortage of primary care physicians in the county (staff cited the county being short 140 primary care physicians with long wait times), and a lack of behavioral‑health services that leads to repeat…
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