The community of Pine Mountain Club grapples with getting good emergency response. The closest ambulance with its paramedics is 20 minutes away. For awhile, Hall Ambulance had a crew in Pine Mountain only two days a week, and it's been closed now.

At the Pine Mountain fire station, crews are trained as EMTs with "basic life support care. They're not paramedics with "advance life support" training.

Karen Bailey's husband died while waiting about an hour for the ambulance with paramedics.

"The local fire department arrived within 8 minutes. They couldn't do advanced life support techniques," said Bailey.

Right next to the temporary fire station, Elizabeth Burrell's mother collapsed.

"Our firefighters were there within 5 minutes, and it took an hour for the ambulance to get up here from Frazier Park," said Burrell.

Residents in nearby Frazier Park have also pleaded for firemen-paramedics.

Bailey's not sure if firefighters trained as paramedics would have saved her husband's life, but still wants advanced life support paramedics stationed in every rural fire house.

Eyewitness News asked Kern County Fire Chief Dennis Thompson if that was under consideration.

"Yes, it is," said Thompson. "It's also something that the board is interested in looking at."

Kern has a number of communities with fire stations, but no nearby ambulance.

The chief says 12 stations could be considered for having a firefighter paramedic and there would be medical benefits.

"We're, in effect...extending the magic hour window where a person has a medical problem until they arrive at a hospital to be seen by a physician," explained Thompson.

"If you've got an ill patient, they need to be in a hospital and that's the service that the ambulance is supposed to provide -- is the movement of the patient to the hospital," said County Emergency Medical Services Director Ross Elliott.

Ross says getting the patient to the hospital is an important link in the chain of care. While fire trucks don't transport, firefighter paramedics could stabilize a patient.

"Clearly, clearly -- no argument there would be a value to that," said Elliot. "I think it just comes down to what is that cost going to be, given the frequency of incidents in an area. is it worth that?"

Some in Pine Mountain think it is, but they have other questions about the debate.

"Is there some monopoly with Hall Ambulance, that if they don't do it -- nobody else can?" asked Burrell.

"This isn't going to hurt Hall Ambulance. This isn't against Hall Ambulance. This is a separate issue," said Bailey.

Hall Ambulance, owned by Bakersfield Mayor Harvey Hall, serves this part of Kern County. But what is the impact if some fire stations had paramedics?

"There's no competition, it's a matter of providing a higher level of service to the patient in a more timely manner, and then being able to sustain until that patient reaches the hospital," said Thompson.

If the fire department had paramedics at 12 rural stations, Chief Thompson says that's 60 paramedics. They need more training, more equipment. He says weighing the costs and the care will be up to the Board of Supervisors.

"There is a potential for controversy and potential for hard feelings and a lot of emotion. But we're trying to address this methodically and purposefully to what we believe is best for these communities. They're in more remote settings, but what level should be reasonable?" said Thompson.

Some residents are convinced they should have paramedics in the fire station.

"We desperately want them to be trained, and able to administer the aid we need really quickly," said Burrell.

Hall Ambulance says the paramedic situation is a public policy issue and is interested to see what happens. And will continue to provide 911 service as they are contracted through Kern County.

Supervisors will consider this report next Tuesday.

Here are the four options:

1. Fire-based paramedics
2. Ambulance-based paramedics
3. Contract paramedics
4. Fire-based EMT Twos