Honorable Mayor and Members of the Hermosa Beach City Council Regular Meeting of August 22nd, 2017
Title
FIRE DEPARTMENT AMBULANCE TRANSPORT PROGRAM
(Fire Chief Pete Bonano)
Body
Recommended Action:
Recommendation
Direct Staff to proceed with ambulance transport “option four” which would allow the City of Hermosa Beach to continue to provide ambulance services by contracting the service through the development of an Ambulance Transport Request for Proposal.
Body
Background:
As Council may recall in the October 18, 2016 staff report, Council was provided five options for ambulance transport. The five options included: 1) a City administered ambulance transport program utilizing City ambulances and employees; 2) a City administered ambulance transport program utilizing City ambulances with contract employees staffing the ambulances; 3) a shared Hermosa/Manhattan ambulance transport program; 4) the City retains control of the ambulance transport program through an RFP; and 5) the City relinquishes all control of ambulance transport services to the County Fire Department and the Los Angeles County Emergency Medical Services Agency.
Additionally in the October 18th staff report, Council was provided with a brief explanation of the City’s “224 rights” (Health & Safety Code §1797.224) which establishes the authority for the Council to designate Hermosa Beach as an ambulance Exclusive Operating Area (EOA). Further discussed was the City’s “201 rights” (Health & Safety Code §1797.201) which establishes the authority for the administration and operational control of all prehospital Emergency Medical Services (EMS) within its jurisdiction, including but not limited to, emergency ambulance response and patient transport services. Because the City of Hermosa Beach has provided ambulance services continuously since June 1, 1980 the City has retained all rights, remedies and privileges regarding ambulance services.
Analysis:
Pursuant to the authority provided in Health & Safety Code Section 1097.201, and because the City has provided emergency ambulance services continuously at least since June 1, 1980, Staff is recommending the City continue to provide ambulance transport services as a contracting agency which is option four described in the background section of this report. Option four allows the City to maintain our 201 rights and for the possibility of a sustainable revenue stream by keeping the ambulance billing revenues. Additionally, option four provides the opportunity to forge a new public-private partnership in Hermosa Beach. Additionally, the Los Angeles County Emergency Medical Services Agency indicated they would support Hermosa Beach as a contracting agency for emergency ambulance services within the Hermosa Beach Exclusive Operating Area (EOA).
A prerequisite to the issuance of the Ambulance RFP is to assess the financial value of our ambulance transport program. To determine the value of the program, the City retained the services of A.P. Triton LLC, to analyze the feasibility of Hermosa Beach contracting ambulance transportation services. A.P. Triton has experience working with municipalities throughout the State on developing public sector ambulance programs. The A.P. Triton report has concluded that there are benefits for the City to maintain control of the City’s 201 Rights and contract ambulance transportation services with a private provider. Their report recommends that the City proceed with the issuance of a Request for Proposal (RFP) for Emergency Ambulance Transportation Service.
Additionally, The City of Manhattan Beach is sharing in the cost of the Feasibility Study to determine the value of the Basic Life Support (BLS) component of the City’s Ambulance Transport Program. As you may recall, both Hermosa and Manhattan currently utilize in-house Ambulance Operator (AO) Programs for the transportation of BLS patients. Unfortunately neither of the two cities has been successful in maintaining the proper staffing necessary for the effective operation of these programs. The Ambulance RFP that’s been developed includes the ability for Manhattan Beach to “piggyback” on the Hermosa Beach Proposal.
If approved tonight, the next steps would be to immediately issue the Request for Proposals for Emergency Ambulance Transportation Service. Staff anticipates the public opening of the RFP to be sometime in late September.
Fiscal Implications:
None at this time.
Attachments:
1. A.P. Triton, LLC Ambulance Feasibility Study (final draft)
Respectfully Submitted by: Pete Bonano, Fire Chief
Noted for Fiscal Impact: Viki Copeland, Finance Director
Approved: Sergio Gonzalez, City Manager