With the recent opening of a totally rebuilt Fire Station 1 and the roll out of a major change to ambulance service, the Costa Mesa Fire Department’s offerings could be called both new and improved.
After contracting with Care Ambulance, a private company, for about 10 years, Costa Mesa now takes patients to the hospital in its own ambulances. The switch is expected to allow the city to recover about $1.2 million more annually that previously went to Care, but patients shouldn’t see any change in the service they get or how much they’re billed, Fire Chief Dan Stefano said. The real advantage, fire officials said, is increased efficiency.
Under the previous contract, a dispatcher would alert the nearest fire station about a traffic accident or medical aid call, and a city medic squad, fire engine or both would head to the scene. A second call would be made to Care Ambulance, which would send a vehicle to meet the firefighters there, Stefano said.