South Lane County Fire & Rescue is cutting back on its ambulance services after the failure of its recent levy.
The district serves Creswell, Cottage Grove and nearby areas. But in recent years, staff said they’ve struggled with higher demand and rising service costs.
“Medical supplies, equipment–everything has continued to increase,” said Deputy Chief Justin Baird. “And we've stayed at the same levy rate for some time.”
In May, the district asked for a property tax increase, which it said would have funded six new full-time positions and one apprenticeship. But more than 59% of voters rejected it.
Now, the district says it’s having to adopt service cuts. Starting this month, it’s going from running two ambulances to just one on days with minimal staffing.
Baird said this is necessary so enough people are available to respond to fires, which is the district’s primary duty. He said nobody should be operating a fire engine alone.
“Having them try to get on scene, size up the scene, deploy hoses, put water on the fire–that’s just unsafe,” said Baird.
As a result, the district says it may not be available to respond to non-emergency situations and public assistance calls, such as medical alarms and some vehicle crashes.
Service will no longer be available on standby for special events, and the ambulance won’t be allowed to leave the fire district’s boundaries.
According to the district, rates for use will also significantly increase.
The district’s ambulance will rotate daily between being stationed in Cottage Grove and Creswell. Baird said additional ambulances may be available on days where there’s enough staffing.
He said the district has also partnered with the company Mid-Valley Ambulance, which will respond to lower-acuity calls, transfers out of the local hospital, and some emergencies.
“We're going to continue to provide a service that we can, within the means that we can,” said Baird. “And people may be waiting for ambulances a little longer.”
This month, the district also increased the cost of its Fire Med Ambulance subscription service, where people pay a yearly fee in exchange for cheaper ambulances when and if they need it. Baird said if it continues to operate in the red, it may be cut.
Baird said without more revenue, the district may have to eliminate its ambulance services entirely.
“If we are unable to continue to renew that levy or increase that levy in years to come, that's going to have to be something that our Board of Directors looks at,” he said.
The current levy will expire in June 2028.
