New ambulance set to improve critical response times for Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue

RIDGEFIELD, Wash. (KPTV) — A new advanced life support ambulance with Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue began responding to the most critical and high-priority calls as of Jan. 1.

The service includes a new, fully stocked 24-hour transport ambulance and aims to decrease response times for the cities of La Center, Ridgefield, Woodland, the Cowlitz Indian Tribal Reservation and unincorporated areas of North Clark County. It’s the first major change to the system in more than 30 years.

“The system hasn’t changed since 1992, so having our unit in the system is the first major change since then,” said John Nohr, fire chief of CCFR

CCFR serves 125 square miles of North Clark County and Southwest Cowlitz County, and is currently contracted with American Medical Response. Depending on where people are located, Nohr said it could take anywhere from just a few minutes to nearly 20 minutes for an ambulance to arrive, and for people who live in a rural area, a delayed response is likely.

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The new system will operate in addition to the existing ambulance service contract with AMR. The new ambulance at CCFR will focus on responding to the highest-priority calls, and should improve response times across the board, Nohr said.

“That allows us ... to reach all areas of our district in a reasonable amount of time, significantly less than the that the private provider is allowed to have,” Nohr said.

In the past, Nohr said it’s been frustrating to deal with these delayed response times and he knows that it’s had an impact on both his team and the local community.

“The reality is, I don’t want to tell somebody on the floor having a medical emergency that the transport is delayed...” he said. “People need the definitive care of getting to the hospital and we need to have the ability to get them there.”

The new ambulance at CCFR has been up and running since New Year’s Day.

Firefighter and paramedic Bryan Carroll said he’s feeling hopeful. Paramedics see the results of delayed response times firsthand and hope the new system will help them better care for their community.

“I think it is frustrating for us because what we want to provide is good response times and then ultimately definitive care is getting them to a doctor,” Carroll said. “The sooner we get them to a doctor, the sooner they can get fixed, healthy and back home.”

Nohr said a second ambulance will be added to the system in early 2026. Both ambulances, costing about $450,000 each, were donated to CCFR by the Cowlitz Tribal Foundation, he said.