West Side CHD Mutual Aid

CivicMic works with the West Side Community Healthcare District (the "District") to help determine community support for a parcel tax that would allow the District to continue to provide ambulance services. Currently, the District delivers ongoing ambulance services to Merced and Stanislaus counties and rural areas surrounding these communities. The District also has a responsibility to be part of a Mutual Aid Agreement with other EMS providers. In this post, CivicMic explains what the West Side CHD Mutual Aid is and why it is important.

West Side CHD Mutual Aid

What is the West Side CHD Mutual Aid Agreement?

The West Side CHD mutual aid agreement is an arrangement between the District and other ambulance providers to lend EMS services and equipment across jurisdictional boundaries. This situation may occur due to an emergency response that exceeds local resources. This means that if there is an emergency outside of the District’s boundaries and within the community of one of the providers that the District is contracted with, the District has a responsibility to ensure assistance. However, this is mutual, and the District is also contracted to receive aid from these providers.

Why is Mutual Aid Important?

Mutual aid agreements are ultimately entered into for the benefit of the public and to prevent emergency incidents from becoming long-lasting and damaging by creating that opportunity for faster response times, more resources, and more complete coverage.

• Response Times: Mutual aid agreements must be in place to facilitate effective response times to health emergencies. More providers mean that if there is an emergency, there is a greater chance that someone will be at the scene within a reasonable amount of time.
• Resources: Mutual aid agreements ensure that resources, such as medical equipment, could be shared between providers so if something breaks during an emergency, another provider could step in to tend to the scene.
• Coverage: Mutual aid agreements allow for more complete coverage. Providers working together for the benefit of the community means that if there are multiple concurrent incidents, someone will be able to show up and resolve them. This prevents things from becoming direr or slipping through the cracks.

West Side CHD Mutual Aid 2021 Snapshot

West Side CHD is contracted with EMS providers, such as Patterson District Ambulance (PDA), American Medical Response (AMR), and Sierra Medical Services Alliance (SEMSA). Below is a snapshot of the mutual aid distribution with these providers for 2021, both given and received.