PRESS RELEASE - JPA Awards Ninth West Slope Ambulance to El Dorado County Fire
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: Tuesday, March 17, 2026
Date/Time of Occurrence: 03/10/2026
Nature of Occurrence: Emergency Services Authority Awards Ninth Ambulance to El Dorado County Fire
Diamond Springs, Calif., March 17, 2026 — The El Dorado County Emergency Services Authority (JPA) Board of Directors voted on March 10, 2026, to award the operation of the West Slope system’s ninth Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulance to the El Dorado County Fire Protection District.
The decision followed a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) process conducted by the JPA in late 2025 and early 2026. The RFP was open to all JPA member agencies and sought proposals for staffing and operating an additional ALS ambulance to improve system capacity and response reliability across the West Slope of El Dorado County.
Two agencies submitted proposals for the unit. Following presentations to an external scoring panel, the panel unanimously recommended awarding the contract to El Dorado County Fire Protection District. The JPA Board of Directors subsequently voted unanimously to approve the award.
El Dorado County Fire currently operates five of the eight ambulances serving the West Slope system. With the addition of this unit, the district will operate six of the system’s nine ambulances. The addition of a ninth ambulance builds on the existing partnership and expands the district’s role in supporting the regional emergency medical services system.
The additional unit is being added in response to increasing emergency medical service demand across the region. The West Slope ambulance system responds to thousands of medical emergencies each year. The additional unit is expected to improve system reliability and resilience, reduce workload on existing units, and decrease the need for system move-ups between districts during periods of high demand.
The new ambulance will be staffed with licensed paramedics and emergency medical technicians using the district’s Paramedic Ambulance Operator (PAO) staffing model, which has been successfully implemented on other ambulance units within the system.
Work is now underway to bring the ambulance into service, including staffing, equipment procurement, and vehicle preparation. The goal is to have the unit operational in the coming months, with final deployment details to be coordinated through the JPA EMS Operations Committee.
“We look forward to partnering with JPA staff to bring this additional medic unit into service, further strengthening emergency medical services for the residents and visitors of El Dorado County,” said Fire Chief Tim Cordero. “We appreciate the County’s recognition of the growing need for additional EMS resources and the collaborative effort that made this expansion possible. We are honored by the confidence placed in County Fire by both the independent evaluation panel and the JPA Board, and we remain committed to providing high-quality, reliable service to the communities we are privileged to serve.”
“On behalf of the El Dorado County Emergency Services Authority, we are pleased to award the staffing of the system’s ninth ALS medic unit to the El Dorado County Fire Protection District,” said Cristy Jorgensen, Executive Director of the El Dorado County Emergency Services Authority. “The addition of this unit represents an important step in strengthening our regional EMS system and improving our ability to meet the growing demand for emergency medical services across the Western Slope of El Dorado County.”
“This expansion reflects the continued collaboration between the JPA, our member fire agencies, El Dorado County, and our healthcare partners,” Jorgensen added. “The independent evaluation process confirmed County Fire’s strong operational capability and commitment to high-quality patient care, and we are confident they will be an outstanding partner in bringing this new ambulance unit into service.”
“As call volumes continue to increase throughout the region, the addition of this ninth unit will help reduce system strain, improve response reliability, and ensure that residents and visitors receive timely, high-quality emergency medical care when they need it most,” Jorgensen said.
The addition of a ninth ambulance represents a continued investment in emergency medical services for the communities of El Dorado County. The El Dorado County Emergency Services Authority coordinates the regional ambulance system and works in partnership with local fire agencies to ensure timely, high-quality emergency medical care throughout the county.
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