MOORPARK : Ambulance Firm to Open Station

Months after Moorpark officials criticized the slow response of emergency crews, a Thousand Oaks ambulance company is planning to open a new station as early as mid-May.

A temporary station for Pruner Ambulance will be set up at the old Sheriff’s Department station on Olsen Road between Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley, Ventura County Emergency Medical Services Administrator Barbara Brodfuehrer said Monday.

Brodfuehrer said a new radio communications system will be installed at the station. The addition of a new station closer to Moorpark is expected to cut down response times, she said.

Moorpark residents and City Council members have increasingly complained over the past year about ambulance crews taking up to half an hour to respond to emergency calls.

Mayor Paul Lawrason said the station may open as early as mid-May and will be staffed with paramedics. Although the station will be set up for 90 days, the city will pursue plans for a permanent station, Lawrason said.

City officials believe the new station will help reduce response times of ambulances and paramedics, cutting down the average to about eight minutes, he said. Previously, ambulances on average had been responding to emergencies within 11 minutes, according to county emergency medical service reports.