Submitted by San Juan County Public Hospital District No. 1.
When someone calls 911, they expect the reason they’re calling to be taken seriously, and for first responders to arrive without delay. In 2021, San Juan Island EMS responded to 1,084 calls, all of which were handled efficiently and promptly. Our statistics for 2021 reflect the hard work our agency put into ensuring every person who called 911 for EMS services on San Juan Island received quality patient care in 2021.
Of the 1,084 calls that San Juan Island EMS responded to, 74% resulted in transporting the patient for further care, whether by air for mainland care or PeaceHealth. About 64% of all calls came from within the town of Friday Harbor, 22% came from mid-island, 9% came from Roche Harbor, and 5% came from The Cape. In 2021, San Juan Island EMS responded to 13 outer-island 911 calls.
In 2021, San Juan Island EMS had an overall average response time of 9 minutes and 30 seconds; our response time included an average 2 minute and 16 second chute time (or time it takes to do a safety check, find the address, and for the ambulance to leave the station). The average response time to the scene for a 911 non interfacility response call in the town of Friday Harbor was 6:06; mid-island was 10:22; The Cape was 14:52; Roche Harbor area was 18:18. The average response time to scene in the town of Friday Harbor including interfacility transfers and non-urgent calls was 7:18.
San Juan Island EMS has excellent patient satisfaction rates. In our most recently quarterly report from EMS Survey Connect, we ranked 3rd out of 188 agencies. 99% of patients would recommend our services to others, and San Juan Island EMS was rated at 96% for satisfaction in response time and 97% for care shown by medics.
Please remember to give our ambulances room. When possible, patients are transported without lights and sirens at a normal speed.
San Juan Island EMS takes seriously its commitment to the public. As a tax-funded special purpose district, we strive to be open with the community about how tax dollars are utilized. If you are interested in San Juan Island EMS’s budget for 2022, it is available on the Hospital Districts website, along with the six-year budget plan. The statistics utilized in this report are also available on the hospital district website under the EMS tab at: https://sjcphd.org/ems.
San Juan County Public Hospital District No. 1 currently operates San Juan Island EMS and pays a large subsidy to support PeaceHealth Peace Island Medical Center. The District’s EMS levy expires at the end of 2022. Renewal of the EMS levy for another six years is on the February 8, 2022, ballot under San Juan County Public Hospital District #1.
