Advanced Life Support (ALS) Ambulance Services

Advanced Life Support (ALS) Ambulance Services
Expert Care for Patients Needing ALS-Level Transport

Metro West Ambulance’s Advanced Life Support (ALS) units are equipped to care for patients requiring a higher level of medical intervention during transport. Each ALS ambulance is staffed by a skilled Paramedic and EMT – or, in some cases, two Paramedics- ensuring expert care every step of the way.

When is ALS Transport Needed?
ALS transport is appropriate when a patient requires:

  • Paramedic-level assessment
  • Cardiac monitoring
  • Advanced airway management
  • Ventilator-Assist Control administration
  • Advanced Medical/Trauma/Psychiatric care & monitoring
  • IV medication administration or blood product administration
  • Continuous monitoring and stabilization en route

Our ALS crews regularly provide interfacility transports, including transfers to higher levels of care or specialty centers. In addition to scheduled transports, ALS units may also respond to 911 calls.

Whether it’s a time-sensitive hospital transfer or an urgent medical event, our ALS teams are ready to deliver high-quality care with professionalism, precision, and compassion.

Basic Life Support (BLS) Ambulance Services

Basic Life Support (BLS) Ambulance Services
Safe, Professional Transport for Medically Stable Patients

Metro West Ambulance’s Basic Life Support (BLS) units are designed to provide safe and reliable transportation for patients who require medical supervision but do not need advanced interventions. Each BLS ambulance is staffed by two certified Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), or an EMT paired with an Emergency Medical Responder (EMR), trained to provide foundational care and support throughout transport.

When is BLS Transport Appropriate?

BLS transport is typically used for patients who:

  • Are medically stable but unable to sit upright in a wheelchair
  • Require a stretcher for comfort, safety, or medical positioning
  • Need monitoring of vital signs and basic medical oversight en route

Services Provided Include:

  • Basic patient assessment and observation of adults and pediatrics
  • Monitoring of vital signs
  • Patient positioning and comfort support
  • Non-invasive support during transport

Our BLS teams play a vital role in ensuring continuity of care during interfacility transfers, hospital discharges, and medically necessary non-emergency transports. Every patient is treated with professionalism, respect, and clinical attention appropriate to their needs.

Critical Care Transport (CCT) - Mobile Intensive Care Unit (MICU)

Critical Care Transport (CCT)-Mobile Intensive Care Unit (MICU)
Bringing ICU-Level Care to the Road

Metro West Ambulance’s Critical Care Transport (CCT) team delivers the highest level of ground-based medical care for critically ill or injured patients. Our Mobile Intensive Care Unit (MICU) program ensures seamless, hospital-level care from bedside to destination—whether transferring between facilities or traveling from rural areas to advanced care centers in the Portland metro region.

Expert Teams, Advanced Care

Each CCT transport is staffed by an experienced Critical Care Registered Nurse (CCRN) and an Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulance crew, including a Paramedic and EMT. Many of our nurses actively work in the region’s busiest Intensive Care Units and Emergency Departments, bringing ICU expertise directly to the patient—wherever they are.

We combine the clinical depth of critical care nursing with the mobility of emergency medicine to deliver safe, efficient, and expert transport services.

Our Services Include:

  • ICU-to-ICU, ER-to-ER, ER-to-ICU interfacility transfers
  • Long-distance transports from rural hospitals to Portland-area ICUs
  • Emergency transfers from local airports to specialty hospitals
  • Discharges to Specialty Care Hospitals & Rehab for vented & medically complex patients

When a request is made, a CCT RN pairs with one of our on-duty ALS ambulance crews and deploys in a fully equipped Mobile ICU (MICU) ambulance. Each unit is outfitted with advanced medical equipment and technology to support high-acuity patients throughout the transport. We are able to respond emergently (lights & siren) depending on patient status. Our RN will call for report enroute and relay updated ETA.

Independent, End-to-End Patient Care

Referring facilities do not need to send staff with the patient – our CCT team provides complete care throughout the entire transport process. From initial assessment to safe arrival, Metro West ensures every patient receives the highest standard of care on the road. To activate our team, call our Metro West Ambulance Communication Center and ask for Critical Care Transport. Oregon 503-648-6656 and Washington 360-693-7233.

Wheelchair Van Transportation

Wheelchair Van Transportation
Safe, Dignified, and Reliable Wheelchair Transportation 

Metro West Ambulance’s wheelchair van services offer dependable, non-emergency medical transportation for individuals who require mobility assistance and are able to ride sitting in a wheelchair. Staffed by trained Medical Drivers, Emergency Medical Responders (EMRs), or Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), each team member undergoes a thorough screening and training process to ensure the highest standards of care and customer service.

Comfortable, Accessible, Clinically Informed Transport

Our fleet of clean, spacious Sprinter-style vans are specially equipped with electric wheelchair lifts, oxygen supplies, and safety features to support patients throughout their journey. Wheelchair van transport includes full door-to-door service – whether day or night – providing safe and supportive transitions between home, medical facilities, and care centers.

Common Destinations Include:

  • Doctor’s offices and medical clinics
  • Dialysis and chemotherapy treatment centers
  • Rehabilitation facilities and long-term care centers
  • Hospital discharges to home or care facilities

We are committed to ensuring patients are transported with professionalism, compassion, and respect – maintaining their dignity and comfort every step of the way.

Secure Transport Services

Secure Transport Services
Safe, Professional Transport for Mental Health Patients

Metro West Ambulance offers specialized Secure Transport Services for individuals experiencing mental health crises or requiring behavioral health support during transport. These services are designed to ensure safety, dignity, and continuity of care while meeting the unique needs of this patient population.

Each transport is staffed by specially trained and OHA licensed Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) or Emergency Medical Responders (EMRs) with experience in behavioral health support, crisis response, and de-escalation techniques. Our discreet secure vehicles are purposefully-built to provide a calm, controlled environment during transport to and from hospitals, psychiatric facilities, or behavioral health centers.

Based in the Portland Metro Region, we provide Secure Transport services to Washington, Multnomah, Clackamas, Yamhill, Clatsop, Lane, Douglas, Coos, Curry, Josephine and Jackson Counties.

Secure Transport is appropriate for:

  • Voluntary and involuntary psychiatric holds including physician, court ordered, parental
  • Transfers between behavioral health facilities
  • Emergency department discharges to inpatient mental health programs

At Metro West, we are committed to compassionate, clinically informed care that prioritizes both patient well-being and staff safety. Our goal is to provide supportive transport that respects the individual while coordinating effectively with healthcare partners.

ECMO Transport Services

ECMO Transport Services

Metro West Ambulance is proud to operate a specialized ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) transport unit – one of the most advanced critical care ambulances in the Pacific Northwest. This custom-built vehicle is stationed at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center and plays a vital role in the hospital’s mobile ECMO program, offering life-saving transport for patients in severe cardiac or respiratory failure.

This unique ambulance was designed in close collaboration with Legacy Emanuel’s expert ECMO team, with every detail tailored to meet the demands of high-acuity patient care during transport. The result is a vehicle with one purpose: to deliver the highest level of mobile critical care available. Equipped with double the oxygen capacity of a standard ambulance, a backup generator to power all life support systems, and specialized ventilators, the ECMO unit ensures patients remain stable and supported over long distances.

Unlike conventional ambulances, this unit is configured to accommodate up to seven team members – including physicians, respiratory therapists, critical care nurses, and EMTs – allowing seamless, collaborative care throughout every transport. Its spacious layout and integrated systems reflect the highly coordinated approach required to care for ECMO patients.

Legacy Emanuel Medical Center utilized ECMO extensively during the COVID-19 pandemic, relying on this therapy for patients in critical respiratory or cardiac distress. The hospital’s mobile ECMO team has completed more than 100 ground transports, traveling to hospitals across the region to initiate ECMO treatment and bring patients safely back to Legacy for continued care. With the addition of the oversized Metro West ECMO ambulance, the program is positioned to continue offering cutting-edge transport medicine with safety, precision, and speed.

Metro West is proud to support this life-saving initiative – providing the expertise, equipment, and commitment needed to deliver the most advanced critical care transport services available today.

Organ and Donor Transport Services

Organ and Donor Transport Services

Metro West Ambulance is a trusted partner in the life-saving mission of organ donation and transplantation. We work closely with local and state-wide organ transplant agencies to provide rapid, secure, and respectful transportation of both donor organs and live organ donors.

Organ donors are transported by our highly trained Critical Care Transport (CCT) Team using our state-of-the-art Mobile ICU (MICU) ambulance. This unit is equipped with advanced life support systems to ensure the highest level of care and monitoring throughout the transport process.

Our teams frequently coordinate with medical flight crews, meeting them directly on the tarmac to receive donor organs for time-sensitive delivery to transplant centers. From the airport to the operating room, Metro West ensures seamless, efficient, and compassionate transport every step of the way.

Our longstanding partnerships with regional transplant agencies reflect our deep commitment to supporting advanced medical care and playing a vital role in saving lives across the communities we serve.

Rural 911 Services - Vernonia

Rural 911 Services – Vernonia, Oregon

Metro West Ambulance is proud to serve as the primary 9-1-1 ambulance provider for Vernonia in Columbia County. Our partnership in this region began with an initial contract with the Vernonia Rural Fire Protection District, which led to Metro West being awarded the Ambulance Service Area (ASA) 7 contract in 1997. Since then, we’ve remained committed to delivering dependable, high-quality emergency medical services to this unique and close-knit community.

We provide 24/7 Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulance coverage in the Vernonia area, every day of the year. Our ALS units are staffed around the clock with a dedicated team consisting of a licensed paramedic and an emergency medical technician (EMT), ensuring rapid response and skilled pre-hospital care at all times.

To meet the demands of the rugged terrain and unpredictable weather common in this rural region, one of our two primary ambulances is a specially equipped four-wheel-drive unit. This vehicle is specifically designed to navigate snow, ice, and challenging road conditions – ensuring we can safely reach patients wherever they are, even in the most difficult environments.

When our first-out ambulance is dispatched to an emergency, Columbia 911 immediately alerts our Communications Center to coordinate ALS ambulance coverage for the area. In the event of a second emergency, or if an incident involves multiple patients, we quickly deploy additional ALS resources from neighboring Washington County to maintain full service coverage for Vernonia and its residents.

Our second-out ambulance in Vernonia may be staffed by members of the Vernonia Volunteer Ambulance Association – trained EMTs and paramedics who are part of our paid volunteer team – or supported by Vernonia Fire through our longstanding partnership. This collaborative model ensures that even in rural areas, high-quality emergency care remains accessible and responsive.

At Metro West Ambulance, we are honored to serve the Vernonia community and proud of the strong local relationships that help us deliver trusted, life-saving care throughout Columbia County.