Multnomah County Approves New Ambulance Plan

Portland, Ore. –

Multnomah County Commissioners on Thursday unanimously approved a resolution aimed at improving ambulance response times.

The decision follows a months-long debate and a high volume of “Level 0” calls, where no ambulances were available, over the past few years.

Previously, all ambulances in the county were required to have two paramedics on board. However, commissioners had considered a staffing model with one EMT and one paramedic per ambulance to address personnel shortages. This proposal raised concerns about the availability of EMTs and the expertise needed during certain emergency calls.

The approved resolution introduces a new year-long staffing requirement for AMR, the county’s ambulance provider. The new model includes three tiers: Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulances with two paramedics, Basic Life Support (BLS) ambulances staffed by two EMTs for lower-level calls, and a third tier with one paramedic and one EMT.

Jeremy Abbott, a paramedic with AMR, expressed that low staffing levels and resource constraints had caused many of his colleagues to leave. He noted that while initial opposition to the change was high among paramedics, recent hiring of EMTs by AMR has made the rollout more feasible.

Commissioners, including Sharon Meieran, Lori Stegmann, Julia Brim-Edwards, and Jesse Beason, called for increased accountability and transparency in response time data. Meieran criticized the delay in improving response times, stating that the county could have acted sooner to save lives.

In 2023, there were approximately 15,000 “Level 0” calls, averaging 42 per day.

Abbott said the three-tiered system offers more appropriate staffing for different levels of calls and could help reduce the workload for paramedics. He described the strain of working long hours with limited breaks and constant call demands, expressing hope that the new system will alleviate these issues.

The staffing changes could be implemented as early as today. AMR, which has accrued more than $7 million in noncompliance fees since 2022 due to slow response times, may have up to 60% of these fines waived if it meets certain performance benchmarks under the new agreement. The remaining 40% could be reduced over time if AMR consistently exceeds the requirement of 20 ALS ambulances.