By Melissa Chavez
The Tribune
TEMPLETON, Calif. — Ambulances take more than 20 minutes to reach some medical emergencies in Templeton, where firefighters often arrive first but can provide only basic life support until paramedics arrive.
Templeton Fire Chief Tom Peterson estimates those extended ambulance response times occur about 80 times a year, measured from dispatch.
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To help, he wants to put paramedics on fire engines, so crews can initiate advanced medical treatment without waiting for an ambulance.
His proposal would also increase staffing from two to three firefighters per shift. But the changes could cost $500,000 or more annually, potentially requiring another tax measure while the department already faces a budget shortfall.
The Templeton Community Services District Board of Directors is expected to discuss the proposal Dec. 15, General Manager Jeff Briltz said. Directors haven’t approved a plan or decided whether to seek additional funding. Medical emergencies dominate firefighters’ workload
Templeton Fire responded to 1,229 calls in 2025, nearly 25% more than in 2023, according to the department’s annual report.
Medical emergencies accounted for 56% of those calls but consumed approximately 70% of the time firefighters spent handling emergencies.
Templeton firefighters provide basic life support. They can perform CPR, use automated external defibrillators and provide other emergency treatment within their training. But they can’t administer many of the medications or perform the advanced procedures available to paramedics.
Patients who need that care must wait for an ambulance or another advanced life support, or ALS, crew to arrive.
“The central issue is not whether Templeton residents eventually receive ALS care; it is how long patients wait for advanced care after the first responders arrive,” Peterson wrote in a Sept. 24 report to the district’s Fire and Emergency Management Committee.
Peterson’s analysis of 3,809 emergency medical incidents found that 1,759, or 46%, were classified as ALS-level emergencies.
Templeton firefighters arrived first on 2,394 calls, approximately 63% of those analyzed.
Peterson estimates Templeton firefighters arrive first at approximately 435 ALS-level emergencies annually.
In a follow-up response to The Tribune, he said the benefits of adding paramedics would extend beyond the approximately 80 annual calls involving ambulance responses exceeding 20 minutes.
Peterson estimated firefighters could arrive ahead of ambulance crews on as many as 768 calls annually, including calls that don’t necessarily require advanced life support, giving paramedics assigned to those engines opportunities to initiate advanced care sooner when needed. Injured football player needed emergency helicopter
Peterson described one emergency during the committee’s Sept. 30 meeting involving a high school football player who suffered a traumatic brain injury.
The nearest available ambulance was about 25 minutes away.
Firefighters learned that a medical helicopter had become available after another call was canceled and requested it for the injured student.
The helicopter arrived around the same time as the ambulance and transported the player directly to Valley Children’s Hospital.
Peterson said the helicopter transport saved approximately an hour by avoiding an initial trip to a local hospital followed by a transfer to specialized care.
He said ambulances serving Templeton frequently respond to calls in Paso Robles, Atascadero and other communities. When another emergency occurs, the closest available ambulance may have to come from farther away. More paramedics and more firefighters
Peterson proposes hiring three firefighter-paramedics and training three existing fire engineers to become paramedics.
That would give the department six paramedics, ordinarily allowing two to work each shift while providing coverage for vacations, illnesses and other absences.
The three new positions would also restore three-person staffing.
Templeton previously maintained additional staffing with help from a federal Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response, or SAFER, grant. When that funding expired in February 2026, the department returned to two full-time firefighters per shift and eliminated its reserve firefighter program.
Peterson said the additional personnel would help crews handle structure fires, vehicle crashes and overlapping emergencies.
During the committee meeting, he described a motorcycle collision that required additional personnel and temporarily left the department’s engine unavailable for another response.
With three firefighters on duty, he said, the department would have more flexibility to keep its engine in service.
The program would also require new equipment, medications, training and medical oversight through the San Luis Obispo County Emergency Medical Services Agency. How neighboring fire departments help
Templeton’s fire district covers approximately 5.5 square miles, but its firefighters also respond outside those boundaries through automatic- and mutual-aid arrangements.
The department works with neighboring agencies, including Paso Robles, Atascadero and San Luis Obispo County Fire.
Those arrangements allow departments to share personnel and equipment when emergencies require additional help.
Peterson explained that Templeton firefighters ordinarily respond to emergencies within their district unless they’re already handling another call.
When Templeton crews are unavailable, neighboring departments can respond along with an ambulance.
But those agencies also handle emergencies throughout North County, and their personnel and equipment may already be committed elsewhere.
Peterson’s proposal would give Templeton’s firefighters the ability to begin paramedic-level treatment when they reach a patient first.
“It is not about replacing the ambulance system; it is about improving patient care, reducing delays, and ensuring our residents receive the highest possible level of emergency medical care when they need it most,” Peterson wrote in his response to The Tribune. What would it cost?
Peterson estimates the department would need roughly $500,000 annually to expand staffing and provide ALS service, although the figure remains preliminary.
His report offers one possible funding approach: a $15 monthly assessment on approximately 2,740 parcels, generating about $493,000 annually before collection costs and other expenses.
“Those figures are very preliminary and conceptual only. No detailed financial modeling has been performed yet,” Briltz told The Tribune.
The district would need to calculate the costs of hiring firefighters, training paramedics, purchasing medical equipment and replacing supplies. It would also need to account for future wage increases, equipment replacement and other operating expenses.
Peterson’s report recommends addressing existing operating shortfalls and equipment-replacement needs as part of any new funding plan.
During the September committee meeting, members questioned whether the $500,000 estimate would cover those expenses over time.
They discussed hiring already-certified paramedics, training existing personnel and pursuing grants that could offset some of the costs.
Briltz cautioned against repeating problems the district encountered while developing Measure A, when officials didn’t fully account for some long-term expenses.
He said the district needs a detailed financial plan before asking taxpayers to fund an expansion. Measure A maintains staffing, but finances remain tight
Templeton voters approved Measure A in 2019 to establish round-the-clock fire staffing.
Briltz said the measure accomplished that goal, but it wasn’t intended to provide paramedic-level care.
“Measure A was not intended to provide ALS/Paramedic level of service,” he said. “It was only intended to allow the District to have 24/7 staffed operation to more reliably provide coverage and predictable response times, which it has.”
The assessment generates approximately $547,000 annually, according to Peterson.
Still, the department faces financial pressure.
Peterson reported approximately $2.02 million in annual expenses against roughly $1.99 million in revenue, leaving an operating shortfall of about $32,000.
Briltz said the district’s 2026-27 budget draws on savings from previous years to maintain two full-time firefighters per shift.
“Without more funding, options to enhance staffing are extremely limited,” he said.
Briltz believes the district can likely maintain its current service level if it controls expenses. Expanding staffing or adding paramedic capabilities, however, would probably require more ongoing revenue.
Directors haven’t decided whether to pursue another tax measure. County ambulance contract could affect response times
San Luis Obispo County is continuing plans to seek competitive bids for emergency ambulance service while also exploring possible changes to its existing contract with San Luis Ambulance.
Supervisors voted Nov. 3 to allow the two approaches to proceed simultaneously. San Luis Ambulance could retain the contract by winning the competitive bidding process, while separate discussions could lead to amendments to its existing agreement.
The county’s request for proposals is expected to be released in late January 2027 .
Templeton’s Fire and Emergency Management Committee discussed the pending competition in September, including whether changes in ambulance staffing and deployment could reduce response delays.
Committee members also raised the possibility that providing the next level of care could increase Templeton Fire’s reimbursement revenue, helping offset the proposed program’s costs. Board to discuss proposal in December
The Fire and Emergency Management Committee reviewed Peterson’s findings Sept. 30 and supported presenting them to the full board.
Members questioned the costs, training requirements and long-term financing but didn’t settle on a specific funding measure or implementation schedule.
Briltz said directors will likely take up the matter Dec. 15 instead of Nov. 17 , as previously anticipated.
The district hasn’t developed a final staffing plan, calculated the full cost or established a timeline for seeking voter approval of additional funding.
For now, Templeton firefighters will continue providing basic life support and relying on ambulance paramedics or other ALS-equipped responders when patients need more advanced care.
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