Paramedic Services
Paramedic Services is a service that provides emergency care to stabilize a patient’s condition, initiates rapid transport to hospitals, and facilities both emergency and non-emergency transfers between medical facilities. Paramedic Services also provides a community paramedicine service which provides in-home assessments, referrals, treatment, and support to patients to meet their goals of care in an effort to prevent 911 calls and hospital admissions. Given the nature of paramedic services, it is critical that the assets in this portfolio are well managed and risks to service delivery are minimized.
This portfolio is categorized into four components, as a result of differing life spans and maintenance strategies. They are stations, which includes the related furniture and fixtures, equipment (including equipment that may be installed in ambulances), ambulances, and other fleet utilized to provide the service.
Inventory
| Asset Component | Unit | Current Inventory | Replacement Cost |
| Stations | bldg | 7 | $7,574,244 |
| Equipment | total | N/A | 2,067,406 |
| Ambulances | each | 14 | 3,483,200 |
| Other Fleet | each | 6 | 585,000 |
| Total Replacement Cost | $13,709,850 | ||
As part of the annual budget process, Paramedic Services obtains current replacement costs for its equipment and fleet assets. In the event that an updated replacement cost is not available, inflated historical costs are used. As other fleet are due for replacement, they are anticipated to be converted to lower carbon emissions through alternative fuels and energy efficiency in support of the County’s 100% renewable goal. As such, the replacement costs are based on cost of replacement with an eco-friendlier model. These vehicle types are still relatively new to the industry and replacement costs will continue to fluctuate over the next several years. A lower carbon option is not currently available for Ambulance replacements.
Condition
The County completes building condition assessments (BCA) on a 10-year cycle. The BCAs assess and document the current condition of facilities to identify capital repairs and replacements which may affect the continued operation of the property over the next ten (10) years, and to provide an assessment as to the level of accessibility for each property. Replacement costs are also requested as a part of this process. BCAs on the paramedic services buildings were completed in 2015 and 2016 with updated BCAs anticipated for 2025 and 2026.
New ambulance delivery times have significantly increased as a result of the pandemic and have yet to return to pre-pandemic delivery times. The longer delivery times result in fleet remaining in service longer than originally anticipated, resulting in lower average condition ratings.
Key Performance
| Key Service Attribute | LOS Statement | Performance Measure | 2022 | 2023 | Target |
| Quality | Providing paramedic services at the appropriate quality | % of paramedic vehicles in fair or better condition | 85% | 73% | TBD |
| % of paramedic equipment in fair or better condition | 53% | 51% | TBD | ||
| Environmental Stewardship | Providing paramedic services that are environmentally conscious | Total Green House Gas (GHG) emissions from paramedic vehicles (2015 Baseline 332 tCO2e) | 381 | 308 | 285 by 2025 |
Funding Gap Analysis
This portfolio is currently funded by an annual levy contribution to the Paramedic Services - Capital reserve, along with an annual allocation of interest earned.
The graph illustrates the anticipated asset management needs (expenditures) and anticipated funding for the 10-year period of 2024-2033, reflecting an approximate $4.1 million deficit in funding availability over the period.
The reserve balance depicted falls short of the calculated amount earmarked for Ambulance and Other Fleet assets considering their lifecycle stage. For long-term sustainability it is imperative that the annual levy contribution to the Paramedic Services – Capital reserve increase at the onset of the addition of new assets within this portfolio. Staff will persist in evaluating the portfolio during each business plan and budget cycle to obtain sustainable funding levels.