This also affected the neighboring city of Springfield. Contingency plans were implemented immediately, and there was no interruption of service to the public. Together, the two cities went on to win the prestigious Paramedic Service of the Year Award, sponsored by the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians, in 1985.

In August 2002, following a comprehensive two-year study and a series of pilot projects, Eugene Fire & EMS implemented Phase 1 of a redesign of its emergency medical services. Phase 1 included the following:

 Staffing of all first-response Eugene engine companies in the City with at least one Certified Paramedic
 The addition of ambulances staffed by medics not cross-trained as firefighters, operating during hours of peak demand
 Adoption of new call-taking and dispatch protocols enabling us to better match an appropriate response to each specific medical incident
 Conversion of one fire station crew to a "combination crew" able to respond with either a fire engine or an ambulance, as needed

Service
Eugene's emergency medical response deployment includes nine paramedic engine companies, three 24-hour ambulances plus a fourth 24-hour ambulance on standby as a peak activity unit, and two additional ambulances operating during the hours of greatest demand.

Paramedic engine companies are housed in neighborhood fire stations. Because there are more of these than there are staffed ambulances, there is a good chance that a fire engine will arrive at a medical emergency before an ambulance does. In the great majority of cases, the arrival of definitive medical care to the patient is more critical than the arrival of a vehicle to subsequently transport the patient to the hospital.

The 24-hour ambulances are housed at the Bailey Hill, Santa Clara, and Sheldon Fire stations. The peak activity ambulance (staffed by a crew that also operates a fire engine) is housed at the Danebo Fire Station. The peak-demand ambulances (also known as single-role units because the medics staffing them are not cross-trained as firefighters) operate from the Downtown Fire Station, but may be deployed elsewhere depending on call patterns.

The population served includes not only the City of Eugene, but much of the surrounding metropolitan area, and a large portion of rural Lane County (a total of approximately 440 square miles). The department responds to approximately 40 emergency medical calls each day. All responses are with Advanced Life Support capable resources. Here are ambulance transport rates, effective July 1, 2009.