REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OF INLAND COUNTIES EMERGENCY MEDICAL AGENCY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
May 20, 2025
FROM
DANIEL MUÑOZ, Interim EMS Administrator, Inland counties Emergency Medical Agency
SUBJECT
Title
Agreement with Consolidated Fire Agencies for Emergency Communications Nurse System Funding
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Acting as the governing body of the Inland Counties Emergency Medical Agency, approve agreement with Consolidated Fire Agencies, for funding the Emergency Communications Nurse System for the performance period of May 20, 2025 through December 31, 2026, for a total amount not-to-exceed $850,000.
(Presenter: Daniel Muñoz, Interim EMS Administrator, 388-5823)
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 and Stakeholders.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). Funds being utilized to support the Emergency Communications Nurse System (ECNS) are provided through the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Trust Fund. The EMS Trust Fund is generated through penalties paid by ground ambulance transport providers in San Bernardino County (County) for non-compliance of contract standards and intended to be used to enhance the EMS system. Sufficient appropriation will be included in the Inland Counties Emergency Medical Agency’s (ICEMA) 2025-26 recommended budget.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
ICEMA, as the Local Emergency Medical Services Agency (LEMSA), is responsible for ensuring effective EMS for San Bernardino, Inyo, and Mono Counties. ICEMA administers State and local codes and regulations governing the provision of emergency medical care to the sick and injured at the scene of an emergency and during transport to a care hospital.
An efficient EMS system requires 911 dispatchers, first responders, transport providers, and hospitals working together to deliver the right level of care, to the right patient, at the right time. Consolidated Fire Agencies (CONFIRE) is the 911 dispatch center for the vast majority of the County emergency calls and employs the ECNS.
The ECNS triages appropriate, low-acuity calls by directing these patients to telehealth visits, urgent care facilities, doctor’s offices, pharmacies and behavioral health centers, instead of dispatching first responders and ambulance providers to these calls. These low-acuity patients can receive more appropriate medical attention, in a timelier manner, with help from the ECNS, via care outside of a typical 911 response and ambulance transport to a hospital. By diverting the low-acuity patients to a more appropriate treatment option, EMS system resources, namely first responders, transport providers, and hospitals, become less stressed and available to treat more critical patients.
Approval of this agreement will allow ICEMA to fund CONFIRE ECNS an initial $425,000 upon completion of reporting deliverables addressing financial sustainment and effectiveness metrics of the ECNS. Additional funds of $425,000 are included upon continued monthly reporting and approval of program effectiveness and future sustainment.
ICEMA recommends approval of this agreement as an effective ECNS program can help ease the burden on the 911 system by directing appropriate patients to alternative treatment options.
PROCUREMENT
N/A
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (John Tubbs II, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on April 8, 2025; Risk Management (Greg Ustaszewski, Staff Analyst II, 386-9008) on April 9, 2025; Finance (Carl Lofton, Administrative Analyst, 387-5404) on April 22, 2025; and County Finance and Administration (Robert Saldana, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on May 05, 2025.