County letter to Cal Tahoe JPA: We want uninterrupted EMS services

South Lake Tahoe Fire Chief Jeff Meston and the City's representatives on the Cal Tahoe JPA have repeated several times publicly that the City will not leave the area stranded without adequate ambulance service when they pull out of the Cal Tahoe JPA. Both Meston and City Councilmember Tom Davis, who sits on the JPA board, said the City will continue to supply ambulance personnel for at least 90 days after their original termination date of April 15 to ease the transition of EMS services to Lake Valley Fire Department.

Deputy El Dorado County Counsel Kathleen Markham today delivered a letter addressed to the JPA board members, telling them the County needs "reasonable assurances" that the Cal Tahoe JPA is able to, and will, provide uninterrupted EMS services to the east slope of the county.

Markham was the assurances in writing by April 11 that the JPA will have to ability to provide the services both financially and personnel wise.

April 11 happens to be the next meeting date of the Cal Tahoe JPA in the SLT City Council chambers.

"Any interruption in ambulance transport or dispatch resulting from Cal Tahoe JPA's inability or refusal to abide by the terms of the EMS agreement would be a severe threat to public health and safety and specifically a threat to the health and safety of the residents and visitors of the South Lake Tahoe area."

Both Davis and Meston said they are also concerned for public safety and would never leave the community unsafe.

In 2001 the City of South Lake Tahoe, Lake Valley Fire Department and North Tahoe Fire Protection District came together to form the Cal Tahoe Joint Powers Authority (Cal Tahoe JPA) in order to provide emergency life support to the area of the County located on the east slope as well as Northern Alpine County.

In 2005, the North Shore partner left the JPA since they were initially there just to lend their needed expertise in order for the partnership to get the county's ambulance service contract.

When the JPA formed, some local leaders thought a private ambulance company might come in to service the area so they agreed to a contract that didn't reimburse them completely for services provided. That amount now results in an estimated $1.1 million shortfall between the Lake Valley and South Lake Tahoe Fire Departments. The west slope's contract gets them 100 percent back in expenses where it is much less for the east slope, closer to 50 percent.

The County gets funding from property taxes, special taxes, benefit assessment, ambulance billing and other sources that is to go back to the Cal Tahoe JPA for services provided.

In February of 2015, Chief Meston presented the situation to the City Council, stating the County had to step up and pay the JPA for expenses for EMS services provided, an increasing cost due to the number of interfacility transfers they must complete for Barton Health patients being transferred to other hospitals.

The JPA was supposed to get 93 oercent of revenue from these transfers as well as mileage reimbursement. After the contract was signed, the County altered the portion the JPA gets from these transfers and provides just a flat rate.

During that 2015 meeting, Meston said what the Cal Tahoe JPA is asking for is to be compensated by El Dorado County for the third ambulance (the city was only to provide two to the JPA) and the past 13 years of subsidy for the extra services. The JPA has provided $13 million dollars in these services, Meston said, $8.58 million from the city's coffers and about $4.5 million from Lake Valley.

Following Meston's presentation, Lake Valley Fire Chief Gareth Harris echoed the same in his opinion piece, El Dorado County Needs to Pay Their Fair Share" on South Tahoe Now.

With no change in site, and with an increasing tension on the JPA board, the City of South Lake Tahoe said they wanted to get "out of the ambulance business" in December, 2015. On March 15, 2016, the City followed through and sent a letter to the Cal Tahoe JPA, staying they were pulling out in 30 days.

Since that time, the County, and both parties in the JPA have issued statements.

“I am disappointed in the press releases from both El Dorado County and Lake Valley Fire Protection District that contain false information," SLT City Manager Nancy Kerry said in a statement on March 25. "The County’s statement is a knowingly false and misleading statement intended to feign surprise at the City’s action. The City will continuing serving on the Cal Tahoe JPA and ensure adequate ambulance and medical emergency service are provided as evidence by the hiring of six EMTs and six Paramedics in the last couple of months.”