Santee And Lakeside Fire Agencies Get New Ambulances

SANTEE, CA — The city of Santee has another ambulance to respond to emergences.

The Santee Fire Department and Lakeside Fire Protection District each added an ambulance in an effort to address the increasing call volume in Santee and Lakeside communities, according to the Santee-Lakeside Emergency Medical Services Authority.

The first ambulance was placed May 12 in Lakeside. The second ambulance will go into service Friday in Santee. The 12-hour Basic Life Support ambulances operate from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily during peak call volumes.

The new ambulances were made possible after Santee Fire Department and Lakeside Fire Protection District assumed local control of ambulance services through the formation of the Santee-Lakeside Emergency Medical Authority in January.

"Although the name has changed, the citizens of Santee, Lakeside, and portions of unincorporated San Diego County, known as Bostonia, will continue to receive the same exceptional level of emergency ambulance service provided since 1975," the Santee-Lakeside Emergency Medical Authority said in a news release.

"The dissolution of County Service Area 69, and the subsequent formation of SLEMSA, will now allow the city of Santee and Lakeside FPD to more efficiently implement improvements in the delivery of emergency medical services for those they have sworn to serve and protect."

Increasing ambulance service levels is a top priority for the Santee-Lakeside Emergency Medical Authority.

Both fire departments have collectively witnessed EMS calls for service increase from 9,750 calls in 2011 to more than 14,000 calls in 2022, according to the Santee-Lakeside Emergency Medical Authority. Although many of these responses require the assistance of Advanced Life Support ambulance services, about 50 percent of patients only require the need for Basic Life Support-level ambulances.

"The new resources will be a tremendous asset to Santee and Lakeside as they increase the availability of higher acuity ALS-level ambulance services for critically ill or injured patients," the Santee-Lakeside Emergency Medical Authority said. "The additional BLS units will also assist with reducing ambulance response times and decreasing reliance upon mutual aid resources from neighboring agencies."