Details of a proposed multi-municipal EMS authority will be shared during a public meeting at Highlands High School.

It’s the first time residents will hear about the paid service meant to resolve struggles with call volumes, costs and staffing problems at Eureka Community Ambulance in Tarentum and Citizens Hose EMS in Harrison.

The two agencies would be merged under a proposed EMS authority, with member municipalities — Brackenridge, East Deer, Harrison and Tarentum — sharing the costs.

“Over the past several years, local ambulance services have been under increasing financial strain, and without action, the system as we know it could collapse,” Tarentum Borough Manager Dwight Boddorf said.

The meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 4. It is an opportunity for the public to ask questions and share input.

The local EMS challenges mimic a nationwide crisis that is the result of insufficient insurance reimbursements, limited state, local and federal funding, and poor fundraising results.

There were 1,645 EMS agencies statewide in 2013, according to the Pennsylvania Fire and Emergency Services Institute. By 2017, the number dipped to 1,278 — which was a 22% decrease.

Staffing is a major issue because of mediocre pay rates, many say. According to salary.com, EMTs in Pennsylvania earn about $40,000 a year, or about $19 an hour.

Entry-level positions are paid about $31,000 a year.

Increased training requirements in recent decades have burned out people willing to volunteer their time. According to public policy platform EMS1.com, EMTs trained for as few as 40 hours at the turn of the century. On-the-job training was common.

Now, EMT programs require 120 to 150 hours of training, including both classroom and practical experience. EMTs are required to complete continuing education as well.

“By forming a regional authority, we can stabilize funding, improve staffing and ensure that no community is left without coverage,” Boddorf said.

The proposed Alle-Kiski Emergency Services Authority is pegged as a regional solution and a map to help shape the future of EMS for at least 20,000 residents locally.

Citizens Hose EMS Supervisor Jim Erb said he’s eager to see the plan get over the finish line.

“As a resident and EMS leader in the A-K Valley, I’m very happy that the public meeting and the chance for us to get information out to the public is finally coming to fruition,” Erb said.

EMS is at a breaking point, he said, and without real solutions, residents could face longer response times.

Fawn and Frazer officials were invited to the ongoing planning meetings over the past two years, but did not attend.

Officials in both municipalities have said they would make a decision when presented with final cost estimates.

EMS is required by law. Fawn and Frazer would need to have a contract in place with an EMS provider prior to the authority’s start date, which has not been determined.

Brackenridge Mayor Lindsay Fraser said the area’s independent emergency service agencies have served residents well.

“But with abysmal insurance reimbursements and rising costs of care, these services are not able to continue in the way that they have been,” Fraser said.

“Creating a municipal authority to provide these services will allow for shared governance and operational control as well as alternative financing options.”

Fraser said local elected leaders need to do what they can “to ensure that someone shows up when our neighbors call 911, and that those responding to the call are well compensated and have the equipment that they need to do their jobs.”

“What we most want people to understand is that this proposal isn’t about taking something away,” Boddorf said. “It’s about preserving and strengthening emergency medical services for the long term.”

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