The Lake Valley Fire Protection District is a leader in emergency medical services. In September 2001, Lake Valley Fire administrators headed the creation and implementation of our Fire Protection District’s first Advanced Life Support Ambulance Service in County Service Area (CSA) #3. This encompasses the portion of El Dorado County within the Lake Tahoe Basin. Lake Valley Fire was one of three fire agencies, which include South Lake Tahoe Fire Department and North Tahoe Fire Protection District, who formed a Joint Powers Authority (JPA) and successfully won the bidding process in 2001, proposed by the Health Services Department in the County of El Dorado, California. The recent contract renewal and bidding process has been successfully awarded to the JPA for 2021 implementation. The term of the contract is ten (10) years in length with a five year extension, for a total of fifteen (15) years. The JPA met all compliance requirements contained in the previous contract with El Dorado County and was extended to its full term of ten (10) years.
The Department maintains at least one state licensed / locally accredited first-responder paramedic on all three first-line response vehicles. In addition, the base level for all other emergency response personnel is certification as Emergency Medical Technician I with accreditation to operate cardiac defibrillators. Ambulance operations are provided by a Cal Tahoe Joint Powers Authority (JPA). These ambulances maintain a System Status Planning and Deployment method and are strategically housed throughout the area for optimum response times when responding to local emergencies. The Cal Tahoe JPA also provides non-emergent Inter-Facility Transfers for those patients needing transportation to hospital emergency rooms outside of the Tahoe Basin.
