𝗕𝗘𝗔𝗖𝗛𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗡𝗧 𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗘: SMFD’s New Medical Team Assists Unhoused Woman at Santa Monica Beach

On Tuesday morning, December 9, 2025, the Santa Monica Fire Department’s Advanced Provider Unit (APU) responded to a medical call near the public restrooms at Santa Monica Beach. The two-person team—comprised of a firefighter/paramedic and a nurse practitioner—evaluated an unhoused young adult woman at the scene. After a medical assessment, the team provided the woman with a list of community-based resources intended to assist with follow-up care and support services. The Advanced Provider Unit is part of a newly launched emergency medical services expansion within the Santa Monica Fire Department. The program deploys a firefighter/paramedic and a nurse practitioner together to respond to complex medical calls, provide advanced on-scene treatment, and coordinate follow-up care for high-risk patients. The initiative is designed to reduce unnecessary emergency room visits, limit repeat 9-1-1 calls, and decrease reliance on private-sector ambulance services while improving patient outcomes through proactive, field-based care. The department is also recruiting experienced nurse practitioners for part-time, contracted roles within the program, offering opportunities to work directly in the field alongside first responders in an evolving model of community-centered emergency medicine. Santa Monica Closeup continues to document the people, programs, and public safety efforts shaping life along the coastline.