RCRC, along with a coalition of county and medical service partners, strongly oppose Senate Bill 443, authored by Senator Robert Hertzberg. This newly amended measure relates to local emergency medical services agencies (LEMSAs) and is sponsored by the California Fire Chiefs Association (Cal Chiefs). SB 443 purports to clarify SB 438, another Senator Hertzberg measure from 2019, that dealt with the operation of public safety answering points (PSAPs), including 9-1-1 Emergency Medical Services (EMS) dispatch centers. On the contrary, the measure does not address local EMS dispatch issues, but instead undermines county and LEMSA control of their EMS systems. SB 443 seeks to undermine nearly 40 years of litigation that has affirmed county responsibility for their local emergency medical services systems.
Joining RCRC in opposition are the California State Association of Counties (CSAC), Urban Counties of California (UCC), Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC), County Health Executives Association of California (CHEAC), Emergency Medical Services Administrators Association of California (EMSAAC), and the Emergency Medical Services Medical Directors Association of California (EMDAC), as well as 20 individual counties to date. The California Ambulance Association and American Medical Response are also in opposition.
SB 443 expressly goes beyond SB 438 by removing longstanding county and state medical oversight of local fire departments and other emergency medical services. The measure risks patient safety and care by creating a fragmented and inequitable “wild west” where EMS providers may operate without the accountability and safety of local medical oversight and state accountability. This bill will also impact all patients and EMS systems across the state, whether they live in rural, urban or suburban counties in California.
We urge all counties to oppose SB 443 because it would create a fragmented, inequitable patchwork of EMS medical practices. A sample opposition letter is available for download here. SB 443 will be heard in Assembly Health Committee on Tuesday, June 28. For questions, or to provide RCRC with a copy of your opposition letter, please contact Policy Advocate Sarah Dukett.