SW Polk Fire District Warns of Ambulance Coverage Withdrawal After Three Years of Unresolved Concerns

Polk County, OR. — Southwestern Polk County Rural Fire Protection District is considering withdrawing as a designated ambulance provider under Polk County’s Ambulance Service Area Plan, saying its assigned territory generates too few calls to sustain the cost of maintaining coverage.

The district has not made a final decision, and the announcement does not change current emergency services. If it withdraws, district leaders say they intend to retain ambulances and continue transporting patients when qualified personnel and equipment are available and the response is authorized.

The potential withdrawal follows what the district describes as more than three years of unsuccessful efforts to establish a coordinated, financially sustainable countywide ambulance system.

“This is not a direction we want to take, but it is one we must seriously consider,” Fire Chief Fred Hertel said. “For more than three years, we have worked with the Polk County Commissioners, provided operational data, identified financial concerns, and proposed solutions.”

According to the district, only 10% to 13% of its ambulance responses occur within its assigned ambulance service area, averaging approximately 12 incidents per month. Another 30% to 40% occur within its fire protection boundaries but outside its assigned ambulance territory.

The district reports that 50% to 60% of its ambulance responses occur in neighboring fire districts and ambulance service areas, frequently when the assigned provider’s resources are unavailable.

Maintaining ambulance readiness requires spending on personnel, vehicles, equipment, facilities, training, medical oversight and supplies regardless of call volume, district officials said.

“We are being asked to maintain an ambulance service with an assigned service area that generates approximately twelve calls per month,” Hertel said. “Meanwhile, we routinely provide ambulance services to neighboring jurisdictions when their resources are unavailable.”

The district said Polk County spent more than $50,000 on consultants to evaluate ambulance services and recommend improvements. It contends the county has not completed and implemented an updated service area plan and that significant consultant recommendations have not been incorporated into the existing system.

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The district’s announcement did not include a response from county officials.

To preserve ambulance operations, SW Polk said it has pursued grants, reduced expenditures, deferred equipment and facility investments, adjusted ambulance fees and developed cost-recovery programs.

It has also advocated dispatching the closest available and appropriate ambulance regardless of jurisdictional boundaries. District leaders argue that approach could reduce response times and distribute calls more effectively among providers.

According to district estimates, its Bridgeport Fire Station, when staffed around the clock, could handle approximately 35 additional ambulance incidents per month through coverage of nearby communities currently assigned to another provider.

Any withdrawal would end SW Polk’s responsibility to maintain designated ambulance coverage for its assigned area. According to the district, the county’s plan requires at least six months’ written notice to the Board of Commissioners, allowing time to designate a replacement provider and coordinate a transition.

Importantly, withdrawing as an assigned ASA provider would not mean SW Polk Fire District intends to eliminate ambulance transportation services. The District will continue operating ambulance resources and providing emergency medical transportation when personnel and equipment are available, consistent with applicable regulations and coordination with the responsible ASA provider.

SW Polk said it would continue fire suppression, rescue, wildfire response and emergency medical first response throughout its jurisdiction. Ambulance transportation and assistance to neighboring agencies would continue as resources, authorization and applicable agreements allow.

District leaders say they remain willing to pursue alternatives, including revised service boundaries, cost-sharing arrangements and changes to ambulance dispatching.

“We want to remain part of a coordinated ambulance system, but it must be one that is operationally effective, financially sustainable, and fair to the taxpayers supporting it,” Hertel said.

Residents should continue calling 911 for emergencies.