HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-07-16; Temporary Ambulance Update (District - All); Calderwood, MichaelTo the members of the:
CITY COUNCIL
Date 1 / \ t, )2{,.,CA V CC _}L
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July 16, 2026
Council Memorandum
To: Honorable Mayor Blackburn and Members of t he City Council
From:
Via:
Re:
Michael Calderwood, Fire Chief
Geoff Patnoe, City Manager
Temporary Ambulance Update
{city of
Carlsbad
Memo ID# 202603 7
This memorandum provides updated information regarding the t emporary ambulance unit
deployed in December 2025 to mitigat e the negative impacts associated with a reduction in
emergency medical services (EMS) transport resources within the City of Oceanside
Fire Department.
Background
On December 1, 2025, Oceanside Fire Chief David Parsons notified the City of Carlsbad that th e
Cit y of Oceanside would open Fire Station 9 in the northeastern portion of Ocea nside on
December 13, 2025. Concurrently, Oceanside st aff advised Carlsbad staff they would suspend
operations of the paramedic ambulance at Oceanside Fire Station 2, in southwest Oceanside, due
to an unforeseen budget issue. The City of Oceanside advised personnel previously assigned to
the Fire Station 2 ambulance would be reassigned to partially staff the new fire station and
operat e Patrol 219 (PT219), a non-transport capable pick-up truck.
The City of Oceanside further communicated this operational adjustment was anticipat ed to
remain in effect until at least July 2026, pending Oceanside City Council authorization of
addit ional firefighter positions. If approved, a multi-month recruitment process would be
required prior t o restoring previous paramedic ambulance st affing levels.
Given th e limited two-week implementation notice, and the potential impacts to regional EMS
delivery and ambulance transport resources, Carlsbad Fire Depart ment leadership and the
City M anager promptly evaluat ed operational options to mitigate potential impact s should the
Cit y of Oceanside proceed with their plan.
As announced, the City of Oceanside's suspension of their Fire Station 2 paramedic ambulance
beca me effective on December 13, 2025.
In response, the Carlsbad Fire Department rapidly adapted and implemented a t emporary
mitigation strategy, effective December 17, 2025. Consist ent with actions approved by the
City Manager, the City of Carlsbad increased part-time EMT staffing to deploy an additional
ambulance. The objective of adding this unit was to reduce operational strain on existing
Fire Department
2560 Orion Way I Carlsbad, CA 92010 I 442-339-2141 t
Council Memo -Temporary Ambulance Update (Districts -All)
July 16, 2026
Page 2
ambulance resources while maintaining the number of paramedic transport capable ambulances
serving the City of Carlsbad and the City of Oceanside border, thereby preventing potential delays
in ambulance service and response.
Discussion
Outlined below is an analysis of outcomes between December 17, 2025, and June 30, 2026,
following implementation of the City of Carlsbad's Fire Department temporary mitigation
strategy to deploy an additional transport-capable ambulance (RA 105) effective
December 17, 2025.
City of Carlsbad/City of Oceanside -Unit for Unit Comparison
Service demand and patient transport activity for the City of Carlsbad's additional ambulance
(RA 105).
Carlsbad Additional Ambulance Activity (RA 105) Dec. 17, 2025 -June 30, 2026
In Carlsbad In Oceanside Total*
Incidents 724 315 1039
Transports 428 117 545
*Total includes all Jurisdictions, not just Carlsbad and Oceanside.
• Carlsbad's Additional Ambulance (RA 105) responded to 1039 incidents, with
545 resulting in patient transport. Of those, 315 incidents were in the City of
Oceanside, with 117 incidents resulting in transport to the hospital.
Total Carlsbad Ambulance Activity in Oceanside (by date range)
Impact June 1-Dec. 16, 2025 Dec. 17-June 30, 2026 Change %Change
Incidents 405 934 +529 +131%
Transports 148 374 +226 +153%
• Carlsbad's ambulances more than doubled their operational involvement in
Oceanside.
• Carlsbad's transport workload in Oceanside increased by 153%, confirming Carlsbad's
units absorbed a large share of transport-capable EMS demand that was previously
met by Oceanside's resources.
System-Wide Impacts on Carlsbad Ambulance Operations
A review of EMS transport system incidents and transports between December 17, 2025, and
June 30, 2026, with Carlsbad's additional ambulance (RA 105) in service, as compared to a similar
period oftime prior to the deployment of Carlsbad's additional ambulance (RA 105).
Council Memo -Temporary Ambulance Update (Districts -All)
July 16, 2026
Page 3
Carlsbad Operational Demand (by date range)
Ambulance Average June 1-Dec.16 Dec. 17-June 30 Change %Change
Incidents/day 23.7 27.7 +4.0 +16.9%
Transports/day 15.0 17.3 +2.3 +15.3%
• The Carlsbad EMS transport system experienced a substantial workload increase
immediately following the Oceanside ambulance reduction and Carlsbad's mitigation
deployment.
• A rise of 4.0 incidents per day represents a significant shift in response demand for
Carlsbad units.
• 2.3 additional transports per day confirms the increased call volume was not limited
to non-transport activity.
Cost Recovery Comparison Periods for Total Carlsbad Ambulances (Equal Duration)
Similar (# of days) Estimated Cost Recovery
June 1-Dec. 16 (pre-RA 105} $3,582,000
Dec. 17-June 30 (post-RA 105) $4,068,960
• Estimated Carlsbad system-wide net increase in ambulance transport cost recovery
during the study period: $540,960. This amount is calculated as follows: 196 (number
of days in the period, Dec. 17-June 30} x 2.3 transports per day x a collection rate of
$1,200 (average collections, not billing) for a total of $540,960.
• Approximately $1,200 per transport reflects average net collected annual
reimbursement payments divided by total count of transported patients.
Update
Subsequent to completion of the evaluation period, the City of Oceanside adopted its fiscal year
2026-27 Budget, which included authorization for additional paramedic firefighter positions
within the Oceanside Fire Department. Following approval of those positions, Oceanside's new
Fire Chief Jessamyn Specht restored the paramedic ambulance assigned to Fire Station 2 in
southwest Oceanside.
The restored transport-capable paramedic ambulance was placed back into service on
July 1, 2026, reestablishing the ambulance resource that had been temporarily suspended
beginning December 13, 2025. As a result, the regional EMS transport system has returned to the
staffing configuration that existed prior to Oceanside's temporary reduction in ambulance
resources.
Accordingly, while the temporary operational circumstances that prompted the City of Carlsbad
to deploy an additional ambulance in the northern portion of the city have changed, the
Council Memo -Temporary Ambulance Update (Districts -All)
July 16, 2026
Page 4
City Manager has authorized the Fire Department to maintain the ambulance in the eastern
portion of the city, on a limited basis, to evaluate its long-term operational viability.
cc: Sheila Cobian, Assistant City Manager
Cindie McMahon, City Attorney
Laura Rocha, Deputy City Manager, Administrative Services
Zach Korach, Finance Director
Nick Ordille, Assistant Fire Chief