Oroville approves priority dispatching for nonurgent medical transports from medical facilities

The Oroville City Council on Jan. 21 approved a proposal from Fire Chief Wines to implement priority dispatching for nonurgent patient transports originating at medical facilities and skilled-nursing locations. The council approved the measure by voice vote (6 yes, 1 absent).

Chief Wines told the council the Fire Department has experienced a sustained increase in call volume — “averaging 20 plus calls a day” — and that many dispatches to medical offices require only transport rather than fire-department medical intervention. Under the proposed system, emergency medical dispatchers (EMDs) will screen calls originating at medical sites using established protocols. Where the call meets nonurgent criteria and medical staff are present, the ambulance provider will be dispatched for transport; the fire department will remain available for urgent calls and will still respond if dispatch screens indicate immediate danger or if an ambulance is delayed.

Council members asked about training, response-time impacts and public perception. Chief Wines said dispatchers already use structured EMD protocols and that staff would implement the priority-routing procedures with training. He emphasized that any call assessed as life-threatening would still generate an immediate fire-department response and that the policy is designed to conserve engine availability for higher-priority incidents.

Council approved the proposal and directed the fire department and dispatch to implement the priority-dispatch process and track outcomes. There was no change to billing rules; ambulance transport billing remains unchanged and separate from the city’s decision about which unit responds.