AGENDA
ITEM
8 AGENDA
CALEXICO California ITEM
WHERE CALIFORNIA AND MEXICO MEET
8 CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA STAFF REPORT
DATE: October 15, 2025
TO: Mayor and City Council
APPROVED BY: Benjamin Martinez, City Manager Bu
Karta Chaparro, Finance Director He
REVIEWED BY:
PREPARED BY: Juan Contreras, Fire Chief
SUBJECT: Mutual Aid Agreement between the City of Calexico Fire Department and American Medical Response (AMR)
Recommendation:
It is recommended that the City Council adopt a resolution approving the Mutual Aid Agreement between the City of Calexico Fire Department (CFD) and American Medical Response (AMR) to establish a framework for voluntary mutual aid ambulance and emergency medical services.
Background:
The City of Calexico Fire Department provides advanced life support (ALS) services to residents within city limits. Similarly, AMR provides emergency medical services throughout Imperial County.
Historically, both agencies have collaborated during major incidents and peak system demands; however, no formal written agreement existed outlining the scope and responsibilities of such cooperation.
In July 2025, the City and AMR developed a formal Mutual Aid Agreement to ensure coordinated responses during periods when either agency experiences high call volume or system exhaustion Discussion and Analysis:
The Mutual Aid Agreement establishes:
1. Purpose - Creates a framework for voluntary mutual aid during times when either CFD or AMR's response capability is exceeded.
2. Activation - Mutual aid may be requested for EMS incidents in Zone 1 (AMR) or Zone 2 (CFD).
Requests are made through authorized command personnel, and responses are based on resource availability.
3. Operational Protocols - All operations will follow National Incident Management System (NIMS) and Incident Command System (ICS) principles, ensuring unified command. CFD retains authority for mutual aid operations within city limits.
4. Costs and Reimbursement - Each party bears its own costs. No financial compensation is exchanged, though each agency may bill patients transported by their units.
5. Insurance & Indemnification - Each party maintains liability and workers' compensation insurance. Both parties agree to indemnify and hold the other harmless against claims resulting from their own negligence.
6. Term & Termination - Agreement remains in effect until terminated by either party with 30 days written notice.
7. Records - Both parties will maintain documentation of all mutual aid responses for joint review
9.18.25 City of Calexico-AMR Mu...
This agreement formalizes an important operational partnership that will enhance emergency medical service delivery, improve resource utilization, and provide greater resilience during peak demand periods.
Conclusion:
Approval of this Mutual Aid Agreement strengthens public safety in the City of Calexico by ensuring ambulance coverage during system surges and emergencies, while preserving cost neutrality for both agencies.
Fiscal Impact:
There is no direct fiscal impact on the city. Each party is responsible for its own operational costs and may bill patients transported under their jurisdiction. Total Number of non-transports per fiscal year 2024- is 41 and 2025 year-to-date is 67 non-transports.
Coordinated With:
• City Manager, Benajamin Martinez
• City Attorney's Office, Carlos Campos
• Finance Director, Karla Chaparro
• American Medical Response (AMR) Director of Operations, Brandon Walls Attachments:
1. Mutual Aid Agreement between CFD and AMR (executed)
2 ATTACHMENT NO. 1
Mutual Aid Agreement between Calexico Fire Department and American Medical Response This Mutual Aid Agreement ("Agreement") is entered into on July 1, 2025, by and between the City of Calexico for its Fire Department ("CFD") 415E. Fourth Street, Calexico, CA 92231 and American Medical Response Ambulance Service, Inc. ("AMR") 1910 N, Waterman Ave. El Centro, California 92243. The parties to this Agreement may be referred to herein collectively as the "Parties" or individually as a "Party."
1. Purpose
To establish a framework for voluntary mutual aid cooperation between CFD and AMR during periods of high system demands when either party has determined their agency capability is exhausted.
2. Mutual Aid Activation
Mutual aid may be requested for any emergency medical services: (i) Zone 1 by AMR; or (ii) Zone 2 by CFD. The Parties shall comply with ambulance requests for all aid responses, to the extent possible and if available in their sole judgment. It shall be in the requested Party's sole discretion as to whether it will respond to a request for aid.
There shall be no liability for a Party that declines a request for aid. Each Party shall meet all applicable credentialing and licensing requirements.
Both Parties requests shall be made by their authorized designee or command element. The responding Party retains sole discretion to respond based on resource availability. CFD reserves the right to coordinate and direct all mutual aid assets operating on scene of a response within City limits. Both Parties agree that any Mutual Aid response shall be best effort and exempt from any form of response time metrics or compliance.
3. Operational Protocols
All mutual aid operations shall follow the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and Incident Command System (ICS) principles. Unified or coordinated command shall be established based on incident complexity. Each Party shall maintain operational responsibility for its personnel, vehicles, and equipment. The requesting agency official in charge at any incident where mutual aid is rendered and in whose jurisdiction the incident occurs, shall remain in charge at such incident and is responsible for directing any personnel and equipment provided pursuant to this Agreement.
4. Costs and Reimbursement
Each Party will bear its own costs related to mutual aid responses. There shall be no compensation exchanged between the Parties, but each Party may bill the patient that received its transport services at its established rates.
5. Insurance and Indemnity
Each Party shall maintain general liability, automobile liability, professional liability, and workers' compensation insurance as required by California law. The coverage and amounts of insurance shall be customary within the emergency medical services industry.
Each party will defend, indemnify and hold the other party harmless from and against all liability, claims and costs resulting from or alleged to result from any negligence or willful misconduct of the indemnifying party related to the performance of this Agreement. In the event of any such claim, the party to be indemnified shall provide notice to the other party as soon as reasonably possible.
6. Term and Termination
This Agreement shall become effective on the date all parties have signed this MOA and be in force until terminated.
Either party may, by written 30-day notice stating the extent and effective date, terminate this agreement for convenience in whole or in part, at any time.
7. Laws
This Agreement shall be governed, interpreted, construed, and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of California. All parties shall be in conformity with all applicable federal, State, County, and local laws, rules, and regulations, current and hereinafter enacted, including facility and professional licensing and/or certification laws and keep in effect any and all licenses, permits, notices, and certificates as are required. All parties shall further comply with all laws applicable to wages and hours of employment, occupational safety, and to fire safety, health, and sanitation.
8. Records and Documentation
Both Parties agree to maintain records of all mutual aid responses, including units deployed, duration of response, and outcomes. Upon request, such records shall be made available for joint review.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have executed this Agreement.
CITY OF CALEXICO
By: City
Manager
Date:
AMERICAN MEDICAL RESPONSE AMBULANCE SERVICE, INC.
-Signed by:
By: Paul Farney
Paul Forncy-DSCF62E754524F...
Regional Director
Date: 9/18/2025