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Board votes to revoke SMSC LEMSA designation, move EMS oversight back to county
Summary
After a months-long RFP process and debate about potential conflicts, the board voted 5-0 to revoke the Solano Emergency Medical Services Cooperative's designation as the local EMS agency and to transition the JPA to an advisory EMS care committee while preserving the current RFP process.
Following a staff presentation on the Solano Emergency Medical Services Cooperative (SMSC) and an ongoing RFP for the county's exclusive operating area ambulance contract, the board debated the statutory authority for local EMS agency designation and whether a JPA member that might bid on the RFP posed a conflict of interest.
EMS administrator Benjamin Gammon briefed supervisors on SMSC functions and the RFP timeline. County counsel explained statutory options under Health & Safety Code section 1797.200 and AB 389, noting that counties may designate the county health department, a county-established agency, a contracted entity, or a joint powers agency as the LEMSA. Several supervisors said the delegation to a JPA set up in 1996 deserves reconsideration now that the board is full-time and accountable for system oversight. Public commenters including Fairfield Fire Chief John Sturdy and Medic Ambulance president Jim Pearson expressed concern that altering oversight mid-procurement could disrupt a fair RFP process. Legal counsel and county staff told the board they would confirm whether EMSA (the state authority) would accept a change in the LEMSA designation without invalidating prior RFP approvals.
After extended discussion and public comment, the board voted 5-0 to revoke SMSC's regulatory designation and to reconstitute the JPA in an advisory Emergency Medical Care Committee while ensuring the current RFP proceeds under the existing timeline; staff were directed to return with the ordinance language and steps required for a formal transition and to coordinate with the state EMS authority to avoid disruption to the procurement.
