County, Cal Fire launch paramedic service at Intermountain station

The county’s Intermountain fire station on state Route 78 on the east side of Ramona now has around-the-clock paramedic service.

San Diego County Fire Authority and Cal Fire made the upgrade to increase paramedic capabilities throughout the fire authority’s service area. The county-funded, Cal Fire-staffed paramedic fire engine at station began serving the area at 6 p.m. July 1, and will be staffed 24/7.

The new paramedic engine is the sixth the fire authority has added in the past few years. Other new engines are at the Otay, Jamul, Lake Morena, Pine Valley and Descanso stations.

“This is a big step forward in our backcountry and represents our latest effort to bolster emergency medical services for residents across the region,” said county Supervisor Dianne Jacob, whose District 2 includes Ramona. “In the past dozen years, the county has invested more than $320 million on fire protection and emergency medical improvements, and bringing paramedic support to Intermountain builds on that.”

The area surrounding the Intermountain fire station is well-populated and Route 78 is busy, with traffic-related incidents that require medical intervention and paramedic response, said the county.

New staff positions at Intermountain include a fire captain, two fire apparatus engineers and three firefighter paramedics.

This is the first time the station has been staffed at this level. Intermountain Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department, established in 1988, operates as a public-private partnership with the county.

“This is an exciting time in the evolution of county fire,” said Tony Mecham, chief of Cal Fire San Diego Unit and the fire authority.

The ongoing cooperation between Cal Fire and the County of San Diego enhances public safety when it comes to all types of emergencies, said the county.

The Intermountain station is at 25858 Route 78.