We are continuing to work with our neighboring cities of Gresham, Troutdale, and Fairview to develop a pathway toward a sustainable and responsive fire and emergency medical services system for East County.
This includes at least two additional fire stations, including one in the Wood Village/Fairview area. We had hoped to announce the proposed location of the Wood Village/Fairview station in this newsletter, but that announcement has been delayed until later this fall. Even with that delay, the cities continue to make significant progress in planning for the future of our fire and emergency medical services.
One option being explored is rejoining Fire District 10 (FD10). Prior to 1995, Wood Village, Troutdale, and Fairview were part of FD10. At the time, increasing costs and the lack of today's property-tax limitations made remaining in the district very expensive for our community.
FD10 is now developing an implementation and feasibility plan to determine whether it could once again serve our communities, including the additional fire stations and services we believe are needed. We expect to have a much better understanding of the feasibility, costs, and benefits of this option by the end of the calendar year.
Even if rejoining FD10 proves feasible, that does not mean a decision has been made. We will continue working with you to determine whether it is the right approach for Wood Village.
While the cities are responsible for fire service, Multnomah County is responsible for ambulance service throughout the county. The County does not directly operate ambulances; instead, it contracts with American Medical Response (AMR), a private company, to provide the service.
Approximately every ten years, the County updates its Ambulance Service Plan, which establishes how ambulance service is expected to operate. The County is currently reviewing a draft update, and after the ambulance shortages and response challenges our community has experienced over the past several years, the City has taken this opportunity to advocate strongly for improvements.
Ambulance service and fire service are closely connected. Approximately 95% of our fire department's emergency responses are for medical or other non-fire incidents. During critical medical emergencies in East County, including heart attacks, strokes, and serious trauma, Gresham Fire is the first emergency medical resource on scene more than 80% of the time.
Increasingly, our fire service is carrying the burden of providing emergency medical care while patients wait for an ambulance. That places additional demands on our firefighters and can leave fire resources unavailable for other emergencies.
Unfortunately, rather than addressing these concerns, the County's current draft Ambulance Service Plan would allow substantially longer ambulance response times in our community. The proposed standard for Wood Village would increase from approximately eight minutes to fifteen minutes, while Portland would retain an eight-minute standard. We do not believe people in Wood Village should be expected to wait nearly twice as long for an ambulance simply because of where they live.
What does an additional 7 minutes look like?
- Nearly doubling the wait for lifesaving treatment
- Up to a 70% reduction in cardiac arrest survival potential if no CPR/AED intervention occurs
- Millions of additional brain cells lost during a major stroke
- Critical time lost controlling severe bleeding
We have repeatedly asked the County to improve ambulance response times, better coordinate ambulance deployment with our fire agencies, explore alternatives for lower-acuity and non-emergency medical calls, and recognize the increasing operational and financial burden being placed on the fire service. So far, we do not believe those concerns have been adequately addressed.
There is also a financial component community members should understand. When our fire department responds to a fire or medical emergency, you do not receive a bill from the City or fire department for that emergency response. Ambulance transportation, however, is separately billed by AMR. Under the proposed system, you could ultimately pay more while receiving a lower level of ambulance service.
We need your help...
The City will continue advocating for a fair, responsive, and accountable ambulance system, but we need your voice too.
Please contact the Multnomah County Commissioners and ask them to support:
- Meaningful coordination with Wood Village and our fire-service partners
- Faster and more reliable ambulance response times
- Meaningful coordination with Wood Village and our fire-service partners
- Accountability for ambulance performance and deployment
- A plan that does not simply shift more emergency medical responsibilities and costs onto our fire service
Who should I contact?
Where you live should not determine how long you wait for emergency medical care.
Please let the County know that Wood Village expects better ambulance service, meaningful coordination with our community, and a system that puts patient safety first.
County Commissioners
Click on a name below and let your voice be heard.
Chair Jessica Vega-Pederson
District 1 Commissioner Meghan Moyer
District 2 Commissioner Shannon Singleton
District 3 Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards
District 4 Vince Jones-Dixon
