Multiple Emergencies Expose Gaps in Upper Valley Ambulance Coverage

Following a series of emergencies on July 17, Upper McKenzie Rural Fire Protection District Fire Chief Joel Zeni is urging Lane County and regional emergency service leaders to take immediate action to expand ambulance capacity in the upper McKenzie Valley.

In a letter to the Lane County Board of Commissioners, Lane County Health & Human Services, Springfield's mayor, city council, and manager, as well as Eugene Springfield Fire leadership, Zeni said events that day demonstrated the existing ambulance system lacks the capacity to handle multiple emergencies occurring simultaneously in rural eastern Lane County.

Zeni noted responders were called within a short period to a medical emergency in Blue River, a motorcycle-versus-vehicle crash involving three patients (two with severe traumatic injuries) and another medical call near the Trail Bridge Reservoir.

The vehicle wreck alone required three Eugene Springfield Fire medic units, two air ambulances and additional emergency medical support, all while the other medical calls were already underway. In total, five medic units were needed in the McKenzie Valley within roughly one hour.

"This was not a failure by the responders working that night," Zeni wrote. "It was a system-capacity failure."

Zeni emphasized that Eugene Springfield Fire cannot reasonably be expected to provide an unlimited number of advanced life support (ALS) ambulances to cover Eugene, Springfield, the McKenzie Valley and surrounding mutual-aid areas simultaneously.

For more than two years, Upper McKenzie officials have advocated for the use of the district's Oregon Health Authority-licensed basic life support (BLS) ambulance as a supplemental resource when regional ambulances are already committed elsewhere.

The chief noted that ambulance resources elsewhere in Lane County are shrinking rather than expanding. He cited recent reports that Lane Fire Authority has eliminated two peak-hour ambulances - leaving two around-the-clock ALS units in service. In addition, South Lane Fire & Rescue has reduced their staffing to a single ambulance and has warned it could eventually discontinue ambulance service if funding challenges continue.

"At a time when other districts are removing ambulances from service, continuing to restrict a qualified resource that is ready to respond is not a defensible public safety strategy," Zeni wrote.

An incident during the July 17 medical call in Blue River ultimately to a decision to transport using the Upper McKenzie's licensed ambulance.

After district EMTs arrived, assessed the patient and began treatment, Eugene Springfield Fire's transport ambulances became heavily committed elsewhere, leaving no reliable estimate for when an ALS ambulance could arrive.

Rather than continue waiting indefinitely, the Upper McKenzie's ambulance, Unit 2818, transported the patient to PeaceHealth RiverBend Medical Center.

Zeni said leaving the patient in place would have tied up local EMTs and equipment indefinitely, reducing the district's ability to respond to the additional emergencies unfolding across the valley.

"That is not a reasonable or sustainable public safety model," he wrote.

The chief says the government review processes shouldn't delay action when a licensed ambulance, trained personnel and established operating procedures are already in place.

Zeni is asking local and county leaders to take five specific actions:

• Establish a written timeline for considering a Lane County code amendment allowing supplemental ambulance operations.

• Schedule a public meeting on rural ambulance capacity.

• Adopt an interim protocol allowing Upper McKenzie's licensed ambulance to transport patients when no timely Ambulance Service Area transport unit is available.

• Provide a written explanation of any remaining legal or administrative barriers, including the status of three proposed intergovernmental agreements between Springfield and Upper McKenzie.

• Convene a meeting of county officials, Springfield leaders, Eugene Springfield Fire and Upper McKenzie leadership within 10 business days.

"The events of last night should end any debate over whether this need is theoretical," Zeni wrote. "It is not theoretical. It is happening in real time, and the consequences are being carried by patients, volunteers, dispatchers and regional responders."

He concluded by saying Upper McKenzie has already invested in the training, equipment and personnel needed to assist during emergencies and is prepared to accept responsibility for patient care and operations.

"What is no longer acceptable," Zeni wrote, "is continued delay without a defined decision, timeline, or alternative plan."