The minimum response standard for 911 medical emergencies in the City of Oceanside is to arrive within five minutes, 90% of the time.  To best serve the citizens of Oceanside, Emergency Medical Services are integrated into every other function of the fire department.  Every truck, engine, and wildland (brush) company is staffed with at least one paramedic and one EMT-I, (most times two paramedics,) and every ambulance is staffed with two firefighter/paramedics.  As a result, 12 paramedic units cover Oceanside’s 42 ½ square miles.

With Tri-City Medical Center in Oceanside, transporting ambulances have the benefit of remaining inside the city limits much of the time.  This allows for an increased availability due to shorter transport and back-in-service times.

The primary designated trauma center for the City of Oceanside is Scripps La Jolla, with Palomar Hospital in Escondido serving as a secondary resource.  Due to their distance aero-medical services are typically utilized in cases requiring their services.  This assures the best, most timely patient care for victims.

EMS is managed by an Assistant Training Officer (ATO)/Nurse Educator who is responsible for quality assurance, the testing and hiring of new recruits, acting as a liaison with area hospitals, leading the EMS Task Force, establishing EMS policies and procedures, and various specialty training.

An ATO in the Training Division is also assigned to EMS.  The Training ATO is responsible for continuing education, license and certification management, employee health (tuberculosis and hearing tests,) liaison with County EMS, and Disaster Medical Planning.