PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Last year, a settlement agreement with AMR for ambulance service allowed for one EMT and one paramedic to staff some ambulances as a way to improve response times.

But during a board briefing on Tuesday, Multnomah County commissioners received an update on this practice and heard about many troubles.

Complaints from EMS leaders are that training is not what it should be, response time goals are not being met, and “safety events” are rising.

AMR has racked up millions of dollars in fines for delayed response times to 911 calls, but the county has not collected any of that money.

AMR has also increased the number of ambulance crews available and hired more EMTs, but it is struggling to hire more paramedics — saying they have even reached out and recruited paramedics from Australia to fill some of the gaps.

The board heard from some longtime paramedics who believe safety is being compromised without enough training for many new hires.

“Training in particular has suffered due to accelerated timelines and compliance pressures,” Paramedic Hillary Davis said. “EMTs are being placed in the field with as little as eight days of training, often against the recommendations of FTOs, or field training officers. Paramedics with less than a year of experience are being placed into leadership roles before they feel ready — again, by a need to meet numbers rather than readiness.”

County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson and her EMS staff are proposing to continue their settlement agreement with AMR.

But Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards said she is frustrated by the chair and staff recommending to continue with the settlement agreement when so many concerns were brought up. 

Brim-Edwards is pushing for accountability and added that the main goal of increasing response times for critical care is not where it should be.