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Sheriff's office and Fire District 6 outline new deputies, ambulances and local staffing gains
Summary
At the Coral Creek Neighborhood Association information session, the sheriff’s office and Fire District 6 described recent hires, a $6,000,000 grant for 21 deputy positions, new apparatus and the introduction of an ALS ambulance stationed at Ridgefield to improve response times.
Jason Camp, the sheriff’s office night-watch patrol commander, told the neighborhood information session that the sheriff’s office secured $6,000,000 in grant funds intended to create 21 new deputy sheriff positions. "The biggest one, the best news is we secured 6,000,000 in grant funds that we're using to create 21 new deputy sheriff positions," Camp said, and he noted new vehicles are being outfitted and a local police academy is now operating in Vancouver.
David Schmidt, assistant chief for administration for Fire District 6, described station improvements and staffing changes. He said nearly all local stations have been remodeled or rebuilt, the district received a new tiller truck allowing 15 firefighters to arrive on a first-alarm assignment more quickly, and the district now staffs an ALS transport ambulance stationed at Ridgefield. Schmidt said the district plans to add a second transport ambulance around the start of the next year.
Schmidt explained how EMS coverage is provided locally: high-priority ALS responses are handled by the district’s unit and some lower-priority transports are handled by AMR under contract. He said the ambulance stationed at Ridgefield responds to the highest-priority calls (cardiac arrests, strokes, major trauma) and that AMR handles calls the district does not transport.
In response to resident questions, Schmidt said he did not have exact day-by-day counts on hand but offered to follow up; he estimated roughly six EMS calls per day for the service area and said the arrangement has improved response times for critical calls. He also described how ambulance units are posted around the county based on predicted availability and need rather than remaining at a single static facility.
Both speakers emphasized interagency cooperation. Schmidt described joint ownership and leasing arrangements for a multi-agency facility and noted the complexity that multiple owners create when planning upgrades; he said renovation of an older facility is on the district’s radar but that funding and ownership structure complicate decisions.
Neighborhood attendees responded positively to accounts of improved response times and to the presence of locally based medics and apparatus. The presentation closed with an offer from staff to follow up with specific ambulance-response data.
