Getting emergency medical care in Big Bear is not as obvious as you might think.

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For basic EMS medical response and ground ambulance service, Big Bear Fire Department (BBFD) operates three full-time ambulances that respond all the way from Onyx Summit on the east to Green Valley Lake on the west. However, there are frequent instances of these ambulances not being enough to supply the needs of the community, especially on busy weekends and holidays. (For information on that problem, do some research on Measure I from March 2020.) Only one of those ambulances is allowed to be used to transport patients to hospitals out of the valley, and only if it is not anticipated to be needed for EMS calls at that time. 

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Big Bear Fire Department has an ambulance membership at a very low cost which guarantees no cost to the member for any ground ambulance transport. Even if your insurance covers the cost of the ride, your membership pays your deductible. And if you're not insured, your ambulance service is covered.

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For patients needing evacuation or immediate critical care, the Mercy Air Ambulance helicopter (operated by AirMethods) based at Big Bear Airport is the typical method of transport. Stats on its first year of use and more info is here. Unfortunately, there is not currently a separate membership for the air ambulance (history on that here). Insurance is billed directly or the patient is responsible for the sizable expense. This change had nothing to do with BBFD and was reportedly the result of issues involving legal challenges from insurance companies.

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REACH air ambulance operates out of Victorville in conjunction with San Bernardino County Fire and memberships can be purchased to that service via AirMedCare, which also buys coverage throughout the REACH coverage area nationwide. However, if you need an emergency flight out of Big Bear, you won't get to choose which service is available and the Mercy Air helicopter is the most likely one to be called.