\u201cThat would leave National City as kind of a donut hole served by AMR,\u201d he said. \u201cSo with the loss of Chula Vista and San Diego, it\u2019s highly likely they couldn\u2019t continue to serve this area.\u201d<\/p>\n
No formal action to move forward has taken place yet, and National City wants to \u201ckeep AMR available here to the community until we are ready to launch something,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
In the meantime, the city\u2019s Fire Department is revving up to launch an ambulance service. Start-up costs could total more than $6 million, Battalion Chief Jeremy Day said at a City Council meeting in May.<\/p>\n
The change would come after the city again dipped into its reserves this year, this time to balance a $13 million budget deficit.<\/p>\n
Officials could choose to take on bank loans to buy necessary equipment, and borrow from its own funding to cover personnel and operational costs \u2014 reducing borrowing costs and providing greater flexibility, staff said.<\/p>\n
The city has also secured a $370,000 federal grant to help buy equipment.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a thoughtful way to do it,\u201d Councilmember Ditas Yamane said. \u201cIt\u2019s not gonna infringe too much on our general fund.\u201d<\/p>\n
Start-up costs, budget gaps, and a donut hole: keep this coverage sharp.Give $10<\/a><\/p>\n Councilmember Jose Rodriguez agreed. \u201cWe\u2019re reinvesting back into our own staff and it\u2019s going to pay dividends at the end, like it has been for every other city I\u2019ve spoken to,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Chula Vista launched its own in-house ambulance services in 2021 and has serviced Bonita and Imperial Beach, according to the city\u2019s website<\/a>. Chula Vista officials say the move yields many benefits, including regulations on rate increases and more ambulances based in the South Bay.<\/p>\n San Diego has considered moving its ambulance services in-house after AMR and a second provider, Falck USA, have increased what they charge the city, the Union-Tribune reported<\/a> last year.\u00a0<\/p>\n Day said the goal is for National City to establish a new enterprise account for the internal loan, and use future transport revenue to repay startup costs without relying on the city\u2019s general fund.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t say that general fund dollars will not be used, but that\u2019s not the aim of this project,\u201d Day said.<\/p>\n Staff is now \u201cidentifying financial strategies\u201d and finding vendors for billing services and medical supplies, he said.<\/p>\n It\u2019s unclear when an in-house ambulance service in National City will officially launch. Officials expect to return in August with a formal funding proposal and implementation plan, and the Fire Department plans to start recruiting employees in January.<\/p>\n \t\t\tType of Content<\/p>\n News: Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.<\/p>\n Journalism costs money. Less journalism costs society.<\/p>\n Your support makes independent local reporting possible.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1785469750_691_Crystal_Web_CTA.jpg\"\/)
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