09 - Laserfiche WebLink

2. By a contract between Alameda County and a private ambulance contractor for the cities of Dublin, Fremont, Hayward, Livermore, Oakland, Pleasanton, San Leandro, Union City, and for unincorporated Alameda County. In April 2019 an Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Re-design Task Force was convened with representatives from cities, private ambulance providers, hospitals, special districts, and long-term care facilities that evaluated ongoing issues for over 18 months. The task force ultimately concluded that significant changes to the EMS system are needed and that additional revenue for the system could be obtained through a delivery model that involved public service agencies. On July 1, 2019, Falck Northern California was awarded the Alameda County ambulance contract and remains the current contractor today. For a variety of reasons — many of which were evaluated by the task force — at multiple points during the contract term, Falck has had difficulty in meeting its contractual obligations primarily related to ambulance response times. EMS transport response time challenges in the private EOA contractor model are not unique to Alameda County; Santa Clara County and the City of San Diego are recent California examples where the contractor has failed to meet contractual EMS response times. Falck was out of compliance in October, November, and December of 2021, such that Alameda County placed Falck on a monitored performance improvement plan intended to improve response times. The Board of Supervisors has received information about these contract compliance issues during regular and committee meetings. The Alameda County Fire Chiefs, in partnership with ACFD and local firefighter unions, have been working together for approximately one year to implement the recommendations of the EMS Re-design Task Force that the Fire Chiefs believe will lead to system improvements. While Falck has supported partnerships that would improve the system within Alameda County, it is unknown whether it will bid on the next Alameda County contract and/or partner with ACFD on the new model. This new model would generally look similar to the model in Contra Costa County, whereby the county fire department contracts with a private ambulance provider (not yet identified) to provide primary response service to cities within the county. This model would be more financially viable than the current model because cost recovery rates for public entities are higher (statutorily) than for private providers. This model is gaining traction throughout the state as other agencies are pursuing the same type of service delivery. ACFD recently released a Request for Proposals "RFP) for a private ambulance subcontractor to develop a proposal that would be submitted to Alameda County in Spring/Summer 2023 as a competitive bid for ambulance services in Alameda County. Cities and fire departments within Alameda County have an opportunity to come together in negotiations with ACFD to refine this proposal and the terms and conditions of local participation in the model. DISCUSSION To submit a competitive bid in partnership with ACFD, in response to Alameda County's ambulance RFP in Spring/Summer 2023, the Fire Chiefs within the County recommend Page 2 of 4