Idyllwild Fire serves its constituents first, supports AMR, if needed
Pine Cove residents were assured that American Medical Response is their primary emergency ambulance service. “Residents from Pine Cove will only receive a responding IFPD ambulance when AMR is unavailable and the closest available ambulance is from
IFPD,” the Riverside County Emergency Management Department said last week.
This statement was issued in response to several expressed concerns that the county was planning to return Pine Cove’s ambulance service to IFPD.
A recent story in the Idyllwild Town Crier described the continuing negotiations for an emergency ambulance service agreement between the Idyllwild Fire Protection District and EMD.
Part of that agreement may put more priority for transportation on the availability of the ambulance closest to the incident site. Pine Cove residents took that to mean AMR would be displaced. But it is much more likely to affect the Mountain Center and Garner Valley areas since the AMR vehicle passes through Idyllwild to those neighborhoods.
As a result of calls and emails to EMD and RC 3rd District Supervisor Chuck Washington, EMD issued a press release Thursday, Feb. 22, emphasizing that there is no planned change to service in the Pine Cove area. Nor have any other changes been agreed at this point.
The county’s Emergency Medical Service Agency is collaboratively working with IFPD, Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department and AMR to update the ambulance mutual aid process, according to the release.
AMR is the current ambulance provider for nearly all unincorporated areas of Riverside County, including Pine Cove, Poppet Flats, Pinyon Pines, Aguanga and Anza. Since July 1, 2015, AMR’s service areas on the mountain plateau are maintained and regulated by contract with the county’s EMD and EMSA.
