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Board approves AMR ambulance contract after heated public debate over response times
Summary
After two hours of public comment from local fire chiefs, union leaders and fire district officials, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted 3–2 on Feb. 11 to approve a county contract extension with American Medical Response (AMR) that includes a clinical scorecard, liquidated damages and narrow exemption rules.
A divided Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted 3–2 on Feb. 11 to approve an exclusive ambulance services agreement with American Medical Response West (AMR), concluding a fraught public comment period in which fire chiefs and firefighters warned that the contract would lengthen response times in parts of the county.
The board's decision followed testimony from multiple fire chiefs and union representatives who urged the supervisors to delay or reject the contract. "Seconds count. Seconds count," Montecito Fire District representative Peter Van Dynewyck told the board, emphasizing the difference that minutes can make in cardiac and trauma cases. Brian Fallon, vice president of the Santa Barbara County Fire…
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