Emergency Medical Services

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Emergency Medical Services' Role

The goal of the Newport Beach Fire Department's Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Division is to deliver the highest quality of medical care to members of the community, regardless of their ability to pay.

On medical calls, we strive to provide timely response, evaluation and treatment by highly trained firefighters and lifeguards. If a medical condition necessitates transport to a local hospitals, our fire ambulances are fully equipped to provide basic and advanced life support emergency transportation and are staffed by two-licensed firefighter / paramedics.

Since 1975, the Newport Beach Fire Department has been the sole provider of paramedic services for the city. Our paramedics have a well-deserved reputation for providing high-quality patient care among the medical community and the public. Our department demonstrates its commitment to this level of service by providing extensive training, utilizing quality control measures, and purchasing the most technically advanced medical supplies and equipment.

Kristin Thompson, EMS Division Chief

Personnel Training and Apparatus

The department's firefighters and career lifeguards are trained as Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT). They assist our paramedics, who have more advanced medical training, on every 911 medical call. The department staffs three paramedic ambulances 24/7 and has the capability of putting additional reserve ambulances in service if needed.

In total, the City has eight fire stations that are strategically located to provide the best services the community. Each day there are eight fire engines, two fire trucks and the three paramedic ambulances in service. The average response time is four minutes and 22 seconds. The systems design accounts for fewer paramedic ambulances, with the expectation that a nearby fire engine or truck company will arrive on scene first to initiate basic medical care, which at times can include lifesaving cardio-pulmonary resuscitation or delivering rapid electrical shocks using automated external defibrillators (AEDs), prior to the arrival of the paramedic team. To meet the community's needs, the front line paramedic ambulances are housed at Fire Station 2 (Lido), Fire Station 3 (Fashion Island), and Fire Station 5 (Corona Del Mar).

Every time someone calls 911, they can expect a basic life support fire engine and a fire paramedic ambulance to respond on scene. Under critical circumstances, another fire engine or truck may also be dispatched for additional resources. On the beach, during the busy summer season, first responder-trained lifeguards may be first to the scene to provide medical aid.

No matter what the situation, our citizens can expect to be treated with dignity, respect, and compassion. Over the years, our firefighters and lifeguards have earned the public’s trust and they take this responsibility very seriously.

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~ Safety, Service, Professionalism ~

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