Coastal Valleys EMS Agency News

CVEMSA will be restarting ALS Update courses in partnership with the Santa Rosa Junior College Public Safety Training Center.

CVEMSA will reinstate ALS Update completion as a prerequisite for new and renewing paramedic accreditations beginning in November 2022.

Mandatory submission timeframes:

• New accreditation applicants will once again be required to complete the ALS Update course prior to receiving initial accreditation with CVEMSA as of November 1, 2022.
• Renewing paramedics will be required to submit an ALS Update CE Certificate with renewal applications for accreditations expiring on or after November 30,

CVEMSA is providing several opportunities prior to the mandatory submission deadline to accommodate schedules, and we encourage our accredited paramedics with licenses expiring on November 30, 2022 to consider attending an August, September or October class date to avoid a lapse in accreditation.

Dates and registration:

Courses will be held from 9:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. at the Public Safety Training Center 5743 Skylane Blvd on the following dates:

• August 24, 2022
• September 28, 2022
• October 26, 2022
• November 16, 2022

Students must register in advance through the Public Safety Training Center.

SRJC-PSTC contact is:

Georgia Pedgrift (707) 836-2921.

The Coastal Valleys EMS Agency team wishes all of our EMS System partners a happy EMS Week!

Our EMS System is complex and diverse. It exists due to the efforts of many different organizations from a range of disciplines. It begins with our training partners who prepare our prehospital providers for certification and licensure as EMTs or Paramedics. It includes Our 911 Communications Centers that provide life saving instructions to callers while coordinating the response to the emergency. Our responders from public safety agencies through private services are the most visible part of the EMS System, providing compassionate care with professional skill and competency. Our hospital partners, from large Base Hospitals and specialty care centers to local community hospitals are integral parts of the EMS system as a whole. The active and willing engagement and collaboration with the prehospital components of the system by our hospital partners gives us the means consider the care of patients from 911 call through hospital discharge. 

Each of the entities that form part of the EMS System and the individuals working within it deserve heart-felt appreciation for the work they do with conviction, passion and dedication. You have our respect and appreciation this week and every week!

Happy EMS Week 2022!

Coastal Valleys EMS Agency has released an updated version of earlier guidance for provider agencies experiencing medication shortages due to supply chain disruptions. EMS Special Memo 22-002 Drug Shortages and Substitutions includes direction for the substitution of Lactated Ringer's Solution in place of Normal Saline with some important exceptions. The  Memo outlines procedures to be put in place if a provider agency is unable to obtain required medications after exhausting usual and alternate vendors. This guidance will allow for the use of expired medications in extremis when no other options remain.

Coastal Valleys EMS Agency has released EMS Special Memo 22-001 authorizing some modifications to local process for paramedic accreditation.

EMS Special Memo 22-001 that describes two expedited accreditation processes CVEMSA is implementing to support current and potentially worsening shortages of accredited paramedics.

The Special Memo provides the process for implementing An ALS Provider Agency abbreviated system orientation for experienced paramedics that will allow for a waiver of the standard “five call” field evaluation.

 The Special Memo also allows new paramedics to complete the CVEMSA five call process concurrently with the end of their field internships. If the internship was completed at the employing ALS Provider agency and the field preceptor/evaluator documents five eligible ALS contacts in which the intern performed at the level of an accreditation candidate, the field evaluation may be submitted for accreditation purposes.

Please direct any questions regarding this EMS Special Memo to EMS Coordinator James Salvante via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Coastal Valleys EMS Agency has released Special Memo 21-003 intended to authorize the implementation of a CMS-approved ET3 Pilot Project within the LEMSA jurisdiction. This Special Memo is required due to a CMS approval deadline of December 31 2021 by any regulatory agencies approving such pilots.

Greater discussion about the expansion of the ET3 study component(s) including on-scene treat and release, telemedicine and alternate care facility diversion/transportation within CVEMSA will occur at EMCC, MAC, and the policy revision group. Those components need to have robust stakeholder discussion and input. Ultimately, operationalized treatment guidelines and policy infrastructure will be built through a collaborative effort between CVEMSA and outside interested parties.

Please click the links below for the California State Stroke and STEMI Summits. These are free virtual events offering EMS CE open to any and all interested individuals. Registration links are included in the linked fliers:

California State Stroke Summit

California State STEMI Summit