Board sets second reading to reassign ASA #2 to Western Lane Fire & EMS after emergency interim coverage

County staff presented a formal first reading for order 26‑08‑18‑10, a code amendment to modify Lane Code chapter 18 and reassign Ambulance Service Area (ASA) #2 in northwest Lane County from South Lincoln Ambulance to Western Lane Fire & EMS. Staff said interim emergency action had allowed Western Lane to operate provisionally to prevent a gap in 24/7 ambulance access; the first reading sets a Sept. 1 public hearing for final designation and code changes.

"Because of the way we handled the last process, there is an interim designation that will exist essentially until we get the final designation completed..." a county staff member explained, noting statutory notice and public‑hearing obligations and that the final order will incorporate the ASA plan into county code. The board voted to set the second reading and public hearing for Sept. 1, with the motion seconded and adopted unanimously.

Commissioners and staff also discussed broader EMS code work: staff described an ongoing drafting process that seeks to preserve required 24/7 ambulance access across the county while proposing code updates to govern interagency ambulance operations. Staff noted the complexity of balancing agency requests, response‑time obligations and legal requirements; no final code changes were adopted at the Aug. 18 meeting.