Emergency Medical Services

Emergency Medical Services
Time is our most valuable commodity in an emergency. If you or a loved one become seriously ill or injured, immediate medical care is crucial. When you call 9-1-1 to report a medical emergency, you activate the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system. The sole purpose of the EMS System is to provide effective emergency care in the shortest possible time.

All City of Mount Vernon Fire Department firefighters are licensed either as State of Washington Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) or Paramedics and is committed to providing exceptional, compassionate pre-hospital emergency medicine and treatment of those placed in our care.

The Mount Vernon Fire Department has three Advanced Life Support capable ambulances in service 24 hours a day, seven days a week.   Ambulances are located at all three Mount Vernon stations.  On any given day and throughout the year, the ambulances are the busiest units in the department.

Annually, emergency medical calls comprise more than 85% of our overall emergency responses. We provide primary services to the City of Mount Vernon, Lake Cavanaugh, Lake McMurray, Big Lake, Cedardale, and Conway, with additional mutual aid responses to all Skagit County residents.

In addition to responding to all requests for emergency medical calls, ambulances also respond to structure fires and other fire-related incidents to perform multiple fire ground operations such as fire suppression, search and rescue, and other assignments.

Firefighters go through rigorous training to become Firefighters/Paramedics.  More than nine months are spent training before individuals are eligible for National Registry exams. Once licensed, paramedics participate in ongoing continuing education led by the Medical Director of Skagit County EMS, as well as courses such as the American Heart Association’s Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, Advanced Cardiac Life Support, and Pediatric Advanced Life Support.  In addition, all paramedics work closely with the Training Division to ensure that all Department members provide the highest quality medical care.

The EMS system operates under a formal set of treatment protocols and plans overseen by the County’s Medical Director, Dr. Matthew Russell.

The Skagit County protocols are utilized by all municipal Fire Departments and Fire Districts in Skagit County.

County-wide ALS (Paramedic) Agreement
 As part of the Skagit County EMS System, the Mount Vernon Fire Department works closely with all EMS services. This consortium of ALS (Paramedic) providers assures Skagit County residents of a system providing consistent level, high-level patient care.

Under this agreement, ALS (paramedic) care is provided by the closest available ALS ambulance as determined by Priority Medical Dispatch, irrespective of jurisdictional boundaries. This program ensures that patients receive the closest and quickest response for the most life-threatening situations.

Patient Records 
The City is committed to protecting an individual’s private patient healthcare information and maintains a comprehensive Privacy Practices Policy.  If you have questions regarding your patient records or our privacy practices, please email us at mvfire@mountvernonwa.gov .

Ambulance Billing
Billing rates for ambulance transport in Skagit County are set annually by the Skagit County Emergency Medical Services Department. The City of Mount Vernon has contracted with a third-party ambulance billing company, Quick Med Claims, to process our ambulance transport bills. Your bills will come from the City of Mount Vernon with a remit address in Pennsylvania. Our Company Code for paying online is MTV1. Click here to check out a sample bill.