Santa Clara County (CA) Ambulance Services

Santa Clara County Emergency Medical Service [EMS]

• Emergency Medical Services - a comprehensive system that provides pre-hospital emergency medical care to individuals experiencing sudden illness or injury. It encompasses a wide range of services, from initial dispatch and field response to stabilization and transport to definitive care.

• Santa Clara County EMS utilizes EMResource - an emergency resource management system that helps healthcare, public health, first responders, and other agencies collaborate and share information during medical emergencies, providing real-time updates on resource availability and facility status.

Santa Clara County Emergency Medical Services Agency [EMSA]

A County Government Agency responsible for administration/management of Emergency Medical Services county-wide.

• SCC-EMSA Command Staff
• Director/Chief
• Assistant Director/Chief
• EMS Medical Director
• Specialty Programs Nurse
• Senior Epidemiologist
• Duty Chief [Field Operations Commander]

• Santa Clara County EMS Mobilization Centers [SDO22]

• North County Mobilization Center: Located at De Anza College (Stevens Creek Blvd. @ Stelling Road, Cupertino), serving areas like Palo Alto, Los Altos, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, and Cupertino.

• Central County Mobilization Center: At the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds (Tully Road @ 7th Street, San Jose), designated for areas including San Jose, Santa Clara, Milpitas, Saratoga, Campbell, and Los Gatos.

• South County Mobilization Center: Situated at the South Santa Clara County Fire District Station 2 (No Name Uno @ Masten, San Martin), for areas such as Morgan Hill, San Martin, and Gilroy.

• SCC-EMSA Emergency Resource Trailers [These resources are tracked by EMResource]
• EMS-UTL-151 - Special operations equipment
• EMS-UTL-152 - Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
• EMS-UTL-153-161 - Basic Life Support resources for 50 to 200 patients
• EMS-UTL-162 - Cabana Transport Vehicle
• EMS-UTL-163 - Cabana Trailer Command Post

• Santa Clara County Ambulance Task Force Levels

The on duty EMS Duty Chief determines the resources deployed for each level.

• Level 1 - 5 to 10 patients - [Multiple vehicle accident; small aircraft collision; multiple shooting victims at a contained scene with no “active” shooter threat]

• Level 2 - 11 to 20 patients - [Ongoing “active” shooter event with no containment; fire at multiple family occupancy; mass transportation incident]

• Level 3- 21 to 100 patients - [Aircraft collision; skilled nursing facility evacuation; large motor vehicle collision]

• Level 4 - 101 to 1,000 patients - [Large aircraft collision; hospital facility evacuation, isolated natural event]

• Level 5 - more than 1,001 patients - [Significant events involving a large number of patients]

Exclusive Operating Areas

• Santa Clara County and Cities - American Medical Response [AMR] has the contract for EOA services in the County.
• City of Palo Alto - Fire Department Medic/Transport

• American Medical Response [AMR] Unit Designations [EOA]

• Ambulance ## - Basic Life Support (BLS) staffed with 2 EMTs
• Medic ## - Advance Life Support (ALS) Paramedic + Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) staffed transport ambulance
• Supervisor # - AMR Staff - Field Operations Supervisor

Non-Exclusive Operating Areas [Subject to Standard Dispatch Orders 11 and 12]

• Gilroy Fire - Rescue Medic 47
• Milpitas Fire - Rescue Medics 87, 88, 89 ??
• Morgan Hil Fire - Rescue Medic 59 ??
• Mountain View Fire - Rescue Medic 51 ??
• San Jose Fire - Rescue Medic 3, 20, 26
• Santa Clara Fire - Rescue Medic 91, ??

• Note:

• Santa Clara County Fire Department does not have medic transport units, but does staff paramedic apparatus.

• Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety does not staff paramedic apparatus. However, Sunnyvale DPS does contract with American Medical Response to staff Squad 42. This a a paramedic staffed quick response vehicle that does not provide transport services.

Private Ambulance Companies

These ambulance companies are subject to Standard Dispatch Order #10

• Bay Medic Ambulance [BMA] -
• Falcon Critical Care Transport [FLC] -
• NorCal Ambulance [NOR] -
• ProTransort-1 Ambulance [PRO] -
• Royal Ambulance [ROY] -
• Silicon Valley Ambulance - 181 Martinvale Ln. between Santa Teresa Blvd. & Via Del Oro,San Jose
• WestMed Ambulance Service - 1230 Alderwood Ave. between Elko Dr. & Dead End,Sunnyvale (The Sta. sits at the Dead End)

Significant EMS Events - Defined

• Federal Aviation Administration [FAA] ALERT I: In-Flight Minor Difficulties requiring standby only.

• Federal Aviation Administration [FAA] ALERT II: In-flight Major Difficulties indicating an aircraft approaching an airport is experiencing major difficulties, such as a fire, faulty landing gear, or loss of hydraulic pressure, potentially leading to a difficult or crash landing.

• Federal Aviation Administration [FAA] ALERT III: Actual Crash - issued when an aircraft has crashed on or off the airport, or there is a high probability of a crash, or the pilot has indicated that the aircraft landing gear will not work and, therefore, the pilot will have to crash land on the airport.

• Federal Aviation Administration [FAA] ALERT IV: Serious Emergency such as a bomb threats, hijackings, or civil disturbances, requiring immediate response and coordination.

• HOSPITAL INTERNAL DISASTER: An incident inside a hospital facility

• PATIENT CARE FACILITY EMERGENCY EVENTS/EVACUATION: Hospital/Healthcare facility evacuation

• HEALTH DEPARTMENT ACTIVATION: HazMat, BioHazard or other health emergency, at any location

• MOBILIZATION CENTER ACTIVATION: NORTH: De Anza College; CENTRAL: Fairgrounds; SOUTH: CNT Masten Fire Station #68

• COMMUNICATIONS CENTER FAILURE: CENTER OR SYSTEM FAILURE

• MUTUAL AID REQUESTS FROM OUTSIDE OPERATIONAL AREAS: Out of County Response required

• REGION II MUTUAL AID REQUEST: State Mutual Aid System Activation

• FIELD TREATMENT SITE TRAILER DEPLOYMENT (FTS): Multiple Casualty Incident Plan (MCIP) of Santa Clara County"

Glossary

• Code 2 - As soon as possible
• Code 3 - Red light and siren
• Code 4 - All Good/No further assistance need
• 10-55 - Coroner's Case

• ACN - Automatic Crash Notification
• AED - Automated External Defibrillator
• ALC - Altered Level of Consciousness
• ALS _ Advanced Life Support
• AMA - Against Medical Advice
• BLS - Basic Life Support

• Community Paramedicine - a healthcare model where paramedics work outside of traditional emergency response to provide preventative and primary care services, particularly in underserved communities. This approach leverages the skills of paramedics to bridge gaps in healthcare access, improve patient outcomes, and potentially reduce healthcare costs.

• CCN - Critical Care Nurse
• CCP - Critical Care Paramedic
• CCT - Critical Care Transport
• Decon Alert - To Identify that the patient being transported has been decontaminated after being exposed to a contaminant.
• Diversion - When hospitals divert specific patients to other hospitals [Emergency Room Diversion = Unit full/not accepting patients]
• EMD - Emergency Medical Dispatch

• Emergency Room Triage - Levels of Care
• Level 1 - Resuscitation - cardiopulmonary arrest, severe trauma,
• Level 2 - Emergency - stroke, head injuries, asthma attacks, or severe pain
• Level 3 - Urgent - moderate pain, signs of infection, or mild respiratory distress
• Level 4 - Semi-urgent - patients need treatment but can wait longer than those in Level 3
• Level 5 - Non-urgent - minor conditions that can be treated when time permits and are often referred to other care settings if appropriate

• EMResource - An emergency resource management system helps healthcare, public health, first responders, and other agencies collaborate and share information during medical emergencies, providing real-time updates on resource availability and facility status.
• EMS - Emergency Medical Services
• EMSOPS -
• EOA - Exclusive Operating Area
• Flight Nurse - Air Transport Registered Nurse
• Health Officer - County Health Department Director
• Level Zero - No available EMS resources in the County ["We are at Level Zero"]
• MCIP - Multiple Casualty Incident Plan
• MHOAC - MEDICAL HEALTH OPERATIONAL AREA COORDINATOR [EMSA Assistant Chief]
• Nurse Navigator - a registered nurse who helps patients and their families navigate the healthcare system, particularly during complex treatment journeys, such as those with cancer or other serious conditions.
• Pre-EMD Level 1 - Dispatch prior to EMD instructions ?
• Pre-EMD Level 2 -
• STEMI - ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, a severe type of heart attack
• Stroke - a sudden interruption of blood flow to the brain, either due to a blockage (ischemic stroke) or a rupture (hemorrhagic stroke) of a blood vessel.

• Trauma -

Trauma Center Levels

• Level 1 - Provide comprehensive, 24/7 care for all injuries, including prevention, rehabilitation, and research.

[Santa Clara Valley Medical Center - Stanford Hospital - Stanford Children's Hospital]

• Level 2 - Provide immediate care for all injured patients, similar to Level I centers, but may not have the same level of research and teaching requirements. [Regional Medical Center - San Jose]

• Level 3 - Often located in smaller community hospitals, they provide initial assessment, resuscitation, surgery, and stabilization for patients with moderate injuries.

• Level 4 - Focus on advanced trauma life support (ATLS) and stabilization of injured patients before transfer to higher-level trauma centers. They provide evaluation, stabilization, and diagnostic capabilities.

• Level 5 - The lowest level of trauma care, providing initial evaluation, stabilization, and preparation for transfer to a higher-level facility, often in rural or remote areas

• Medical Priority Dispatch System [MPDS]
• Echo - Full cardiac arrest or imminent death, highest priority.
• Delta - Life-threatening emergency, requires immediate and aggressive response.
• Charlie - Potentially life-threatening, requires immediate response.
• Bravo - Mid-priority, potentially urgent, but not immediately life-threatening.
• Alpha - Low-priority, non-life-threatening situation.
• Omega - Lowest priority, may involve referral to another service or a non-emergency situation.

Santa Clara County Emergency Medical Service [EMS] Standard Dispatch Orders [SDO]

• SDO1 - Low level or High system volume (No meal breaks, Held over at off duty time)
• SDO2 - EMS Command staff to monitor EMSOPS for instructions or information
• SDO3 - Only BLS to ALPHA, BRAVO, OMEGA events
• SDO4 - Alert all EMS system units with audible alert tone and verbal message
• SDO5 - Alert Dispatch Centers and PSAP when EMResource is not adequate
• SDO6 - Alert all hospitals
• SDO7 - All hospitals ordered open
• SDO8 - Discontinue all Patient Care Reports and replace with Triage Tags
• SDO9 - Conduct EMS System resource roll call to determine status and welfare
• SDO10 - Place all Available Exclusive Operating Agreements (EOA) and Non-EOA units in service [fire department and private ambulances]
• SDO11 - Fire Department ambulances unrestricted use within their jurisdiction
• SDO12 - Fire Department ambulances unrestricted use system wide
• SDO13 - BLS ambulance for ALPHA, BRAVO, OMEGA and Code 2 responses
• SDO14 - All unit responses are handled at Code 3 level
• SDO15 - All unit transport are handled at Code 3 level
• SDO16 - All units to transport to closest open emergency department
• SDO17 - Automatic Ambulance Dispatch suspended
• SDO18 - ALPHA, BRAVO, OMEGA, Code 2 dispatches suspended
• SDO19 - PSAP may discontinue use of Pre-Arrival Instructions
• SDO20 - PSAP may discontinue use of Emergency Medical Dispatching
• SDO21 - Patient Routing directed by the County
• SDO22 - All Units to Mobilization Centers
• SDO23 - Not used
• SDO24 - Not used
• SDO25 - Not used
• SDO26 - CHEMPACK NOTIFICATION
• SDO27 - Not used
• SDO28 - SHELTER-IN-PLACE
• SDO29 - All Out-of-County patient transports suspended until further notice
• SDO30 - Emergency Departments to immediately bed all patients once transported

Santa Clara County Emergency Medical Service [EMS] Standby Points

• POST 101 - Los Altos - 10 Almond Ave @ N San Antonio Rd (Los Altos Fire Station)
• POST 103 - MT. View - Rengstorff Ave @ 101 exit Mountain View
• POST 104 - Sunnyvale - 665 Knickerbocker Dr @ El Camino Real
• POST 106 - Sunnyvale - 1282 N Lawrence Station Rd
• POST 107 - Sunnyvale - 795 E Arques Ave @ Wolf Rd
• POST 109 - Santa Clara - Kaiser Santa Clara 700 Lawerence Expwy
• POST 203 - San Jose - Valley Medical Center, 751 S. Bascom Avenue
• POST 206 - Cupertino - 20215 Stevens Creek Blvd @ Vista Ave
• POST 207 - Campbell - 1552 La Pradera Dr
• MAIN - San Jose - 1345 Vander Way
• POST 301 - San Jose - 306 S 3rd St
• POST 303 - Milpitas - 386 S Abbott Ave
• POST 304 - San Jose - Regional Medical Center
• POST 404 - Kaiser San Jose (STH)
• POST 406 - 3150 Almaden Expy @ Capitol Expy
• POST 407 - San Jose - 1460 Tully Rd, near 101
• POST 521 - Morgan Hill - 145 W Main Av
• POST 522 - San Martin - 10810 No Name Uno, San Martin, CNT Masten Fire Station
• POST 523 - Gilroy - 7880 Church St

Santa Clara County Emergency Medical Service [EMS] Disposition Codes

• A -
• B-BRAVO - CANCELED WHILE IN ROUTE
• C
• D
• E
• F
• G
• H - ???
• I
• J-JOHN - CANCELED AT SCENE - DRY RUN
• M-MARY - SUPERVISOR CLEARANCE
• N-NORA
• X—XRAY

Santa Clara County Office of the Medical Examiner-Coroner

• Santa Clara County Corner's Investigator - 23K##
• Santa Clara County Removal Services - 23R##

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