City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: February 24, 2026
Agenda Item: 4.A
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Matthew Hallock, Fire Chief, Fire Department
Subject: Award RFP 455 for Medical Director Services for the Fire Department Emergency Medical Services Rendered by Firefighter Paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians
Recommended Actions
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Adopt a finding of no possibility of significant effect pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) (Common Sense Exemption) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines;
2. Ratify the Procurement Manager’s approval of the emergency extension of Agreement #11121 (CCS) with Dr. Walid Ghurabi to continue providing Medical Director services for the Fire Department. This emergency purchase was made as an exception to the competitive bidding process per SMMC 2.24.250(i) and SMMC 2.24.240(d)(3) and is for an amount not to exceed $18,000, for a new total amount not to exceed $288,000;
3. Jointly award RFP 455 to Dr. Walid Ghurabi and to Dr. Jonathan Warren to provide Medical Director services for the Fire Department;
4. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute an agreement with Dr.
Walid Ghurabi for an amount not to exceed $162,000 for three years, with future year funding contingent on Council budget approval; and
5. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute an agreement with Dr.
Jonathan Warren for $131,760 for three years, with two additional one-year renewal options for $79,920 each, for a total contract amount that does not exceed $291,600 over a five-year period, with future year funding contingent on Council budget approval.
Summary
As required by State law, and enforced by the Los Angeles County Emergency Medical Services Agency, the City of Santa Monica (“City”), through the Santa Monica Fire Department (“SMFD”), is required to employ or contract with a Medical Director in order 2 of 6
for SMFD firefighter paramedics and emergency medical technicians (“EMTs”) to lawfully provide emergency medical services (“EMS”) within Los Angeles County. In light of the imminent expiration of the City’s existing services agreement with its Medical Director, and due to the importance of this agreement to the Fire Department’s operations, staff utilized an exception to the competitive bidding process per SMMC
2.24.250(i) pursuant to SMMC 2.24.240(d)(3) to temporarily extend the agreement by four months and to increase the total not to exceed amount by $18,000 to a new total contract amount of $288,000. The temporary extension allowed staff to finalize the contract awards under RFP 455. For RFP 455, staff recommends for it to be jointly awarded to both Dr. Walid Ghurabi and Dr. Jonathan Warren to provide medical director services to the Fire Department. Staff recommends a new three-year agreement with Dr. Ghurabi for an amount not to exceed $162,000. Staff also recommends an initial three-year agreement with Dr. Warren for an amount not to exceed $131,760, with two one-year renewal options, for a total contract amount that does not exceed $291,600 over a five-year period.
Discussion
There is a continuing need for a Medical Director in the Fire Department to meet State and County regulations and guidelines for the provision of emergency medical services rendered by SMFD personnel. This includes firefighter paramedics and emergency medical technicians, especially the newly created ambulance operators. The services of the Medical Director include:
• Advising the City on medical issues in the event of a pandemic or other disaster situation
• Providing medical expertise to enhance SMFD emergency medical services • Evaluating compliance with the legal documentation requirements of patient care • Providing medical oversight of the utilization of Standing Field Treatment Protocols
• Monitoring the controlled substances programs
• Reviewing the medical components of the Emergency Medical Dispatch program 3 of 6
In addition to the above, the Medical Director provides standing orders for the EMS Nurse Educator to administer vaccines to public safety personnel. The Medical Director also evaluates the Fire Department’s EMS program’s compliance with the medical policies, procedures, and protocols of the Los Angeles County EMS Agency in collaboration with the EMS Nurse Educator.
The duties of the City’s Medical Director have recently expanded to include two Advanced Provider Units (APU). On June 24, 2025, the Council adopted the FY 2025- 27 Biennial Budget which authorized the first APU. And on October 28, 2025, Council authorized the creation of a second APU as part of the Santa Monica Realignment Plan.
Both APUs are staffed by a Firefighter Paramedic and a contracted Nurse Practitioner to provide dedicated first response to persons experiencing homelessness and other vulnerable populations. Among their many functions, the APUs can serve as mobile urgent care and provide community paramedicine.
The Santa Monica Realignment Plan also calls for the Fire Department to begin ambulance transports on February 1, 2026, bringing this previously outsourced function in-house. This necessitated the hiring of 36 as-needed Ambulance Operators, as well as several sworn staff to oversee ambulance transport operations.
With the current Medical Director contract nearing the expiration of its five-year term, staff issued a Request for Proposal to select a successor. Because the current agreement for Medical Director services (#11121 CCS) is due to expire on January 26, 2026—and because the Fire Department cannot lawfully provide emergency medical services without a Medical Director—staff utilized SMMC 2.24.250(i) to temporarily extend the current agreement to May 26, 2026 while the competitive bidding and contract execution processes are completed for the new Medical Director services agreement. This temporary extension increased the total not to exceed amount by up to $18,000, which is $4,500 per month for four months. However, staff does not anticipate utilizing the entire extension period or amount. This temporary extension was finalized on December 16, 2025.
Vendor Selection
Bidder Recommendations
Best Qualified Person/Firm Dr. Walid Ghurabi; Dr. Jonathan Warren Evaluation Criteria Training/credentials/experience, competence/skill, capacity/ability to perform services promptly, cost of providing services,
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character/reputation, and ability to provide future services as needed.
Municipal Code SMMC 2.24.190
Bid Data
Date Posted Posted On
Advertise In
(City Charter & SMMC)
Vendors
Downloaded
Date Publicly
Opened
09/25/2025 City's Online
Bidding Site
Santa Monica Daily Press 22 10/16/2025
Justification to Award
Based on interviews with each of the six respondents and the criteria in SMMC
2.24.190, staff recommends awarding RFP 455 to the two highest-scoring respondents: Dr. Walid Ghurabi and Dr. Jonathan Warren. The criteria included experience/technical competence, stability/references, cost, and quality assurance/breadth. Dr. Walid Ghurabi, the highest-scoring respondent, is selected as the Medical Director to oversee EMS operations, ALS protocols, paramedic training, quality improvement and base hospital coordination. Dr. Jonathan Warren, the secondhighest scoring respondent, is selected as a Medical Director to oversee the Advanced Provider Unit, with a limited, clearly defined scope focused on APU protocols and treatment guidelines, Nurse Practitioner integration and oversight, treat-in-place and alternate destination care pathways, and targeted quality improvement as it relates to the APU. Having two vendors provide Medical Director services indicates the breadth and complexity of the Fire Department operations.
Dr. Ghurabi and Dr. Warren’s agreements will complement each other until Dr. Ghurabi steps down as the City’s Medical Director in two or three years. The agreement with Dr.
Ghurabi, due to the larger scope and oversight of department EMS operations, will have an annual not to exceed amount of $54,000, or $162,000 over the three-year term. The agreement with Dr. Warren, due to his initial focus on the APUs, will have an annual amount of $25,920. Once Dr. Ghurabi retires, Dr. Warren will assume the Medical Director responsibilities for the entire Department. Therefore, Dr. Warren’s agreement will have a not to exceed amount of $291,600 over a five-year period.
Environmental Review
RFPs Received
Dr. Bijan Arab EMS Physical Solutions Dr. Walid Ghurabi Dr. Michael Kim Dr. Elizabeth Avakoff Dr. Jonathan Warren 5 of 6
The City’s agreements with Dr. Walid Ghurabi and Dr. Jonathan Warren to provide Medical Director services for the Fire Department would have no possibility of significant effect on the environment and are therefore exempt pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) (Common Sense Exemption) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, “where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment.” The medical services provided by the physicians have no adverse physical impacts on the environment, and as such, is exempt from CEQA.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
The emergency extension of Agreement #11121 (CCS) with Dr. Walid Ghurabi to continue providing Medical Director services is funded from the current budget in the General Fund.
Agreement Modification Request
Agreement #
Current Authorized
Amount
FY 2025-26
Modified Request
Amount
Department
Account #
Total Revised
Contract Amount
11121 $270,000 $18,000 01190005.550010 $288,000
Staff seeks authority to approve available funding from the General Fund to award agreements with Dr. Walid Ghurabi and Dr. Jonathan Warren to provide Medical Director services for the Fire Department.
Agreement Request
Contract
FY 2025-26
Request
Amount
Future
Years
Amount
Department Account # Total Contract
Amount
Dr. Walid Ghurabi $54,000 $108,000 01190005.550010 $162,000 Dr. Jonathan Warren $25,920 $265,680 01190005.550010 $291,600 Total $453,600
Future year funding is contingent on Council budget approval. 6 of 6
Prepared By: Jonathan Tang, Principal Administrative Analyst Approved Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. J Warren - Levine Act
B. J Warren - Oaks
C. W Ghurabi - Oaks
D. W Ghurabi - Levine Act