Yuba County staff to negotiate renewal with Bi County Ambulance after EMS briefing

Sierra Sacramento Valley EMS recommended at the Yuba County Board of Supervisors meeting on Oct. 14 that the county pursue a standard five-year renewal of its exclusive operating area (EOA) agreement with Bi County Ambulance.

John Poland, regional executive director for Sierra Sacramento Valley EMS, told the board that Bi County’s staffing and operations have recovered since the COVID-era decline. He said the company now maintains approximately 25 full-time paramedics plus part-time personnel, has met minimum ALS deployment requirements with a year-to-date 45% monthly average exceedance of minimum deployment hours, and has implemented clinical quality-improvement measures. Poland described the system as financially tight—reporting a combined net income of about $300,000 for 2024 across Yuba and Sutter Counties and noting collection rates of roughly 16% of billed charges—but said the agency’s investments in wages, benefits and training support sustainability.

Poland recommended negotiating a renewal EOA agreement (typically five years) that would include additional clinical performance measures alongside response-time and operational metrics. If directed, staff will convene stakeholder meetings with local fire departments, law enforcement, hospitals and other partners to gather input on draft terms.

Board members expressed support for a renewal and praised Bi County Ambulance’s community engagement and progress. The board voted to direct staff to proceed with negotiations and stakeholder outreach; no final contract terms were approved at the meeting.

Next steps: County staff and Sierra Sacramento Valley EMS will convene provider and stakeholder meetings and return to the board with draft EOA terms for consideration.