REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
December 16, 2025
FROM
GEORGINA YOSHIOKA, Director, Department of Behavioral Health
SUBJECT
Title
Contract for Consolidated Fire Agencies Joint Powers Authority Emergency Communications Nurse System Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve Contract with Consolidated Fire Agencies Joint Powers Authority, for the provision of Emergency Communications Nurse System services, in an amount not-to-exceed $2,040,000, for the period of December 16, 2025 through June 30, 2028.
(Presenter: Jennifer Alsina, Assistant Director, 252-5142)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Improve County Government Operations.
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
Pursue County Goals and Objectives by Working with Other Agencies.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
This item does not impact Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The Emergency Communications Nurse System (ECNS) services contract, in an amount not-to-exceed $2,040,000, will be funded by 2011 Realignment revenue. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Department of Behavioral Health’s (DBH) 2025-26 budget and will be included in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
DBH is responsible for providing mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) services to San Bernardino County (county) residents experiencing severe mental illness and/or SUD. Consolidated Fire Agencies Joint Powers Authority (CONFIRE) was established to provide 9-1-1 emergency communications dispatch services 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to all CONFIRE-served areas and member agencies within the county.
In 2019, CONFIRE and the San Bernardino Council of Governments implemented a pilot program, ECNS, to serve the community. ECNS is a program in which dispatch operators work alongside trained Registered Nurses (RN) stationed at 9-1-1 call centers to quickly assess the level of response required for medical calls. The goal is to provide timely, reliable, and appropriate responses to both emergency and non-life-threatening situations within the County. Following the pilot program, ECNS continues to assist all emergency service providers (ambulance, fire, and police) with the optimization of resources and outcomes by providing the “Right Care at the Right Time”.
With the recommended contract, DBH will provide Social Worker IIs (SWII) who will work in conjunction with the ECNS RN, to assess and assist with incoming crisis calls that are behavioral health in nature. When the RN determines that the individual is experiencing a behavioral health crisis and does not require emergency medical services or police response, those calls are transferred to the onsite SWII to triage. The SWII will assess the call in consultation with the DBH Crisis Contact Center using DBH Community Crisis Services’ protocols to determine if a field or phone response is most appropriate and ensure safety. Approval of this item will allow provision of ECNS services to approximately 3,250 individuals annually at a cost of $251 per client.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Behavioral Health (Michael Shin, Administrative Manager, 383-0899) on October 17, 2025; County Counsel (Dawn Martin, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on October 21, 2025; and County Finance and Administration (Paul Garcia, Administrative Analyst, 388-0218) on November 25, 2025.