SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (VVNG.com) — A new ambulance system officially launched Thursday, October 1, 2026, across much of San Bernardino County, with CONFIRE EMS & Mobile Health replacing longtime provider American Medical Response and partnering with Priority Ambulance to provide emergency and non-emergency ambulance services.
Residents are now seeing ambulances and crew uniforms carrying CONFIRE branding across the new service area. Despite the change in branding and ambulance provider, San Bernardino County officials said emergency services will continue uninterrupted and the process for requesting emergency assistance remains the same: Call 911.
The transition came one day after a San Bernardino County Superior Court judge reconsidered an earlier ruling in litigation brought by AMR over the county’s decision to award the ambulance contract to CONFIRE and denied AMR’s petition for writ of mandate.
Priority Ambulance confirmed the launch Thursday, saying, “Today marks an exciting new chapter in San Bernardino County!”
“Priority Ambulance, in partnership with CONFIRE EMS, officially begins providing emergency and non-emergency ambulance services in portions of San Bernardino County today, October 1,” the company said.
The contract covers the vast majority of San Bernardino County’s primary Exclusive Operating Area, or EOA. Municipalities and local service zones participating in or affected by the transition include San Bernardino, Rancho Cucamonga, Ontario, Redlands, Chino and Chino Hills through the Chino Valley Independent Fire District, Rialto, Colton, Loma Linda, Montclair, Victorville, Apple Valley and Yucaipa. Unincorporated county communities served by San Bernardino County Fire will also transition to CONFIRE EMS coverage.
CONFIRE will provide ground ambulance services, 911 emergency response, transportation between health care facilities and critical care transportation through its public-private partnership with Priority Ambulance, which the county described as the nation’s second-largest ambulance provider.
“San Bernardino County residents can expect top notch, professional and coordinated emergency medical care through CONFIRE’s regional ambulance system,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman and Third District Supervisor Dawn Rowe. “By bringing together local oversight, experienced personnel and additional resources, the new system will strengthen regional emergency response and help ensure care is available when residents need it most.”
Local fire agencies will continue responding to medical emergencies as part of the emergency response system. CONFIRE is designed to coordinate ambulance transportation with fire agencies, dispatch centers, hospitals and other public safety partners.
Ambulance responses will be coordinated through CONFIRE’s Command and Control Center, according to the county. The center uses medical dispatch protocols to determine the appropriate resources for each call.
CONFIRE also uses the Emergency Communications Nurse System for certain 911 calls involving less urgent medical needs.
When clinically appropriate, a licensed registered nurse can assess a caller’s condition and may connect the person with telehealth services, an urgent care center, a physician’s office or a pharmacy when an ambulance response or hospital transportation is not necessary, according to the county.
County officials said the system is intended to help patients receive care appropriate for their needs while keeping first responders, ambulances and hospitals available for more critical emergencies.
Years Of Preparation Lead To Oct. 1 Launch
The transition follows years of preparation by CONFIRE involving hospitals, fire agencies, law enforcement, labor organizations, dispatch personnel and community partners.
According to information published by CONFIRE, preparations included training, ambulance deployment planning, communications, technology integration and stakeholder outreach.
Priority Ambulance said reaching Thursday’s launch required extensive preparation by both organizations.
“Reaching launch day has been a tremendous team effort. We extend our sincere thanks to the CONFIRE EMS teams and Priority Ambulance teams who have worked tirelessly behind the scenes to prepare our people, ambulances, equipment and operations for today. Your collaboration, dedication and commitment to getting every detail right have made this milestone possible.”
CONFIRE EMS is a partnership of regional fire agencies serving communities throughout San Bernardino County, including Rancho Cucamonga, Ontario, Rialto, Redlands, Chino Valley, Apple Valley and San Bernardino County Fire, along with other allied agencies.
Priority Ambulance will manage the majority of ambulance transportation needs for CONFIRE.
CONFIRE said it will have ambulance and systems coordinators monitoring deployment around the clock from its Command Center.
“CONFIRE will have real-time 24/7, 365 days a year, systems and ambulance coordinators in our Command Center who will be responsible for deploying and monitoring ambulances throughout the Comprehensive Service Area,” according to information published by CONFIRE.
Court Ruling Comes One Day Before Transition
The launch follows a lengthy legal dispute over San Bernardino County’s decision to award the ambulance contract to CONFIRE.
The county began a competitive procurement process for its ambulance Exclusive Operating Area, with both AMR and CONFIRE submitting proposals. The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors ultimately awarded the contract to CONFIRE in December 2023 after rejecting AMR’s protest.
AMR challenged the decision in San Bernardino County Superior Court. In September 2024, Superior Court Judge Jay H. Robinson granted AMR a preliminary injunction that prevented implementation of the CONFIRE contract while the litigation proceeded. The Superior Court subsequently issued a final order granting AMR’s petition for writ of mandate.
The Fourth District Court of Appeal later reversed the preliminary injunction. The appellate court concluded that neither California’s EMS Act nor the county’s request for proposals imposed a ministerial duty requiring the county to select AMR based on the scoring of the proposals. The appellate court also rejected AMR’s argument, for purposes of the preliminary injunction, that the county abused its discretion in awarding the contract to CONFIRE.
The California Supreme Court denied AMR’s petition for review on April 15, 2026, leaving the appellate decision in place.
The case later returned to San Bernardino County Superior Court. On Sept. 30, Judge Jay H. Robinson reconsidered his previous final order and denied AMR’s petition for writ of mandate.
“Consequently, the Court RECONSIDERS its Final Order and hereby DENIES AMR’s Petition for Writ of Mandate,” Robinson wrote. The ruling came one day before CONFIRE and Priority Ambulance began operations on Oct. 1.
Priority Names Leadership Team
Priority Ambulance also announced a four-member leadership team for its CONFIRE EMS operations ahead of the launch.
Jeremy Seib serves as vice president of operations and will work in partnership with CONFIRE JPA and Ray Gayk, Pacific Region president for Priority Ambulance.
Reporting to Seib are three operations managers overseeing different portions of the county: Patrick Jansen for the West Valley Region, Heather Watts for the East Valley Region and Leonardo Lara for the High Desert Region.
“We are excited to welcome Jeremy, Patrick, Heather, and Leonardo to the Priority Ambulance family as we prepare to begin serving the San Bernardino community,” said Ray Gayk, Pacific Region Regional President for Priority Ambulance. “Each brings valuable experience, operational expertise, and a strong commitment to public service. Together, they will play an important role in a successful launch and in delivering dependable, community-focused EMS across San Bernardino County.”
Seib brings nearly 30 years of leadership and EMS experience, while Jansen has more than 20 years of EMS experience and Watts more than 22 years, according to Priority. Lara has 13 years of EMS experience and spent 10 years serving the High Desert as a paramedic before moving into ambulance operations management.
Priority Ambulance operates in 13 states and employs more than 4,100 paramedics and EMTs, according to information provided by CONFIRE. Its national fleet includes 830 ambulances and support vehicles, and the company handles approximately 610,000 patient transports annually.
Billing And Former AMR Employees
Billing procedures may change under the new system, according to CONFIRE. Medicare, Medi-Cal and private insurance will continue to be accepted in accordance with applicable federal, state and local requirements.
CONFIRE and Priority Ambulance have also said they value the incumbent workforce and intend to hire as many AMR employees as possible. Priority committed to honoring applicable labor agreements and recognizing employee tenure for those transitioning to the new organization.
Priority Ambulance said Thursday that it was looking forward to working with CONFIRE and other agencies as the new system begins operations.
“Most importantly, we are honored to begin serving the residents and communities of San Bernardino County. We look forward to working alongside CONFIRE EMS and our local public safety and healthcare partners to provide high-quality, compassionate care when our communities need us most.”
Priority concluded its launch-day announcement: “Here’s to day one and the beginning of a strong partnership!”
For residents, county officials emphasized that despite the new ambulances, uniforms and service provider, the way to request emergency assistance has not changed. Anyone experiencing an emergency should continue to call 911.
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