Until new ambulances arrive, which could take months, the city has "borrowed" two units from the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District, which covers areas of Sacramento County outside the city, and will rely on a resource-sharing agreement with that agency to fill gaps in service caused by the lack of ambulances, said acting Sacramento Fire Department Chief Chad Augustin.

Since January 2014, firefighters have complained about the six diesel-powered ambulances manufactured by Ford that have had exhaust enter both the driving compartment and the rear passenger area at times, according to Fire Department spokesman Chris Harvey. The issue was discovered when firefighters complained about a diesel smell when riding in the units.

The smell has sent some firefighters - up to 10 in recent weeks - to emergency rooms to be evaluated for carbon monoxide poisoning, according to Sacramento Area Firefighters Local 522 union spokesman Roberto Padilla.

Prior to the recent rash of possible exposures, the department had "less than 10" firefighters report feeling sick from the smell from February 2014 through November 2016, Augustin said.

The Kings County Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution Tuesday designating all 10 county fire stations as safe surrender sites for newborn babies. Prior to the resolution, Adventist Medical Center in Hanford was the only designated surrender location in the county.

California first implemented the Safely Surrendered Baby Law in 2001. The law provides a safe way for parents who are unable or unwilling to care for their baby to surrender the child within three days of birth. The law allows parents, who may have otherwise abandoned their baby in an unsafe place, to surrender the child without being prosecuted for child abandonment.

Kings County Fire Marshal Brandon Jones said the issue came to light recently after an infant was surrendered at the hospital.

"The law allows fire stations to be designated by the board of supervisors or city council, but they are not designated by default," Jones said. "Most people think fire stations are a 'safe place.' "