Sunnyvale public safety officials are relieved town has recent and much-needed paramedics, but need a long-term solution to handle a neighborhood and statewide shortage.
The city's firefighters and law enforcement officials are trained paramedics, but for years the department had no paramedics higher qualified to perform advanced procedures and supply advanced life support in emergencies.
The Sunnyvale Public Safety Officers Association, which represents greater than 200 of town's public safety officers, made its concerns clear to city leaders and native media earlier this yr. In February, ambulance company AMR approached the association and agreed to fund two full-time paramedics for town, a present that was well received, said association president Lt. Devon Klein.
“Officials appreciate the assistance of paramedics on scene during these intense, rapidly evolving medical emergencies,” he said. “It helps us provide better service to the community.”
The paramedics operate in citywide rapid response vehicles, which usually allow first responders to get to the scene quicker than ambulances. They are dispatched and managed by the district in an emergency.
According to AMR Regional Director Darryl McClanahan, AMR's Santa Clara division will proceed to fund the paramedics for the foreseeable future.
“Should any unforeseen challenges or changes arise, we are in constant communication with Sunnyvale and will contact them prior to any changes to the program,” he said.
The department is liable for 400 emergency responders and paramedics who reply to 140,000 calls annually. Years ago, there have been two paramedics in Sunnyvale who were dedicated solely to serving town, but they were assigned to EMS.
The agreement turned out to be problematic since the district's ambulances are only dispatched when the emergency services arrive on site and specifically request one. There were times when ambulances took 20 minutes to reach in Sunnyvale, as a substitute of the eight-minute response time required by the department. Sometimes they didn't even arrive, says Klein.
Santa Clara County Communications didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment about Sunnyvale's response times.
According to a 2023 county report, AMR needs to rent 30 more full-time paramedics before county staffing can reach an “optimal” level. The variety of emergency calls to emergency services has also increased by 24% within the last three years, putting a strain on local safety officers.
This problem isn't unique to Sunnyvale. In more distant South Bay communities like Morgan Hill and Gilroy, the shortage of paramedics has left patients and emergency responders sometimes waiting a half hour or longer for an ambulance. Recently, officials in Livermore and Pleasanton in Alameda County alleged that Falck, the private ambulance company that can also be affected by a shortage of paramedics, had poor performance and delayed response times.
McClanahan said the shortage is nationwide and has worsened during COVID-19. Many paramedic certification programs, which take roughly 18 months to finish, are closed to applicants attributable to shelter-in-place and social distancing orders.
“It is a statewide paramedic shortage that is not unique to Santa Clara County,” he said. “What we've experienced is a backlog of this type. (Paramedics) haven't gone through programs.”
AMR was in a position to provide immediate emergency services to Sunnyvale, but a long-term solution remains to be needed, Klein said. He hopes Sunnyvale leaders can investigate the issue and locate the ambulance models.
“A system-wide solution is still needed,” he said. “It will require everyone involved to really roll up their sleeves, get dirty and find real solutions.”
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