Life Flight Agreements Under Consideration In Riverside County

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — The Board of Supervisors next week is slated to approve a Riverside County Emergency Management Department request to enter into a five-year agreement with a helicopter transportation service for medical evacuations countywide.

The EMD on Tuesday will ask the board to sign off on the compact with REACH Air Medical Services, as well as approve an associated agreement with the California Highway Patrol to facilitate dispatch of air ambulances to emergencies on highways, freeways and unincorporated roads throughout the county.

REACH, Mercy Air and other private flight assets have been utilized in the county for decades, most often utilized by Cal Fire and municipalities' public safety agencies.

The proposed agreements, which would be in effect from Feb. 1 of this year to Jan. 31, 2029, meet criteria established under the California Health & Safety Code pertaining to "helicopter emergency medical services" programs, according to officials.

"(The county) is dedicated to providing emergency medical services in support of public health and welfare of residents," according to an EMD statement posted to the board's agenda. "Such medical assistance is particularly enhanced by use of certified emergency medical response personnel."

There are no dollar amounts attached to the agreements because patients would be responsible for their own transportation costs in the event of a medical emergency requiring a helicopter with advanced life support systems.

REACH is owned and operated by Greenwood Village, Colorado-based Global Medical Response Inc., which also owns American Medical Response, the county's ground ambulance service provider.