Taxpayers throughout California should be concerned that firefighter unions are trying to convince local governments across the state to reshape and expand municipal fire departments’ control over emergency medical services. This move would have major implications for accountability, public safety costs, and government finances overall.
On a CalChiefs podcast, which its creators describe as “the voice of the California Fire Service,” Southern Marin Fire Protection District Deputy Chief Ted Peterson provided some details on exactly how municipal fire departments are seeking to take over emergency medical services (EMS) delivery from county-level EMS systems: increased reimbursements for transporting Medi-Cal patients through
