REMSA Health and City of Sparks Fire Department Announce Partnership
July 1, 2024 (Reno/Sparks, Nev.) – REMSA Health and the City of Sparks Fire Department are announcing a new partnership that will enhance emergency medical services (EMS) in the Wingfield Springs area of Sparks. The service contract acknowledges Sparks Fire Department as a full partner under the REMSA Health franchise in providing medical coverage to the portion of Sparks currently served by Fire Station 5 at 6490 Vista Boulevard.
The arrangement formalizes the opportunity for Sparks to locate its newly-acquired ambulance at this station and respond to and transport medical calls for service, as appropriate. Per REMSA Health’s and Sparks Fire Department’s current response protocols, the closest appropriate resource – either a REMSA Health ambulance or a Sparks Fire Department resource – will continue to be dispatched. Sparks Fire Department will be obligated to meet or exceed all of the same performance requirements that REMSA Health is held to, as outlined by the franchise agreement with Washoe County. As the population continues to grow across REMSA Health’s county-wide coverage area, strategic partnerships such as this are essential to providing high-quality and immediate access to EMS.
“Continuing to provide a timely and appropriate medical response throughout Washoe County is the foundation of our commitment to the citizens we serve,” said Adam Heinz, chief operating officer, REMSA Health. “This private-public partnership with Sparks Fire Department ensures that the high level of emergency medical services the community expects remains accessible to all.”
Sparks Fire Department will deploy the ambulance service out of Fire Station 5. Station 5 opened for service in 2005 and currently operates with a minimum of three personnel on a fire engine. The addition of the ambulance will bring another firefighter/paramedic and a firefighter to the station, for a total of five personnel dedicated to the northern end of the city. This ambulance will service districts 5 and 6, with the southern boundary being Los Altos, and the northern boundary being La Posada.
“We are excited to partner with REMSA Health to provide emergency medical transportation,” said Sparks Fire Chief Walt White. “I firmly believe that this will be our most impactful service enhancement in decades and allow us to provide the highest level of pre-hospital care possible to the residents and visitors of Sparks.”
The partnership between REMSA Health and Sparks Fire Department is based on a similar model that REMSA Health launched with Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District in September 2021. That private-public partnership acknowledges TMFPD as a partner in providing medical coverage to Washoe Valley, Sun Valley, and Spanish Springs communities served by TMFPD.
