NORRISTOWN, Pa. – What was intended to be a presentation recognizing Emergency Medical Services in Montgomery County became a plea for help from Ken Davidson, a paramedic and assistant chief of Second Alarmers Rescue Squad and president of the Montgomery Ambulance Association and vice-president of the Ambulance Association of Pennsylvania.
He told the commissioners that since his last appearance a year ago the 17 EMS services in the county had responded to over 97,000 calls. Davidson went on to say that there is an EMS crisis at the local, state and national level “due to two issues above all others – staffing and funding.”
He explained that staffing is a challenge because the work “is physically and emotionally challenging with a lack of sleep and consistent stress.” Davidson told the commissioners that since his appearance a year ago “things have gotten worse.” There are more and more times, he said, that his EMS company must downgrade from advanced life support to basic coverage or, worse, he noted, decrease the number of staff on a particular shift.
“The number of times you must rely on and provide mutual aid is at an all-time high,” Davidson commented. Response times are gradually increasing across Montgomery County.” He went on to explain, “It is a public safety issue affecting the care our citizens receive when they call 911.”
In most parts of the county, Davidson told the commissioners, responses are backed up eight deep, however, in the past the dispatchers rarely had to go beyond the second or third back-up. “There have been multiple instances in the past year, he commented, “when the system was out of resources and juggling had to occur because even the eight-deep unit was not available.”
Davidson continued, “This year I again ask for your help working with all 62 municipalities in the county to establish proper support and sustainable funding for EMS as an essential public safety service. We also need your help in engaging state officials with advancing legislation that would require insurance agencies to reimburse EMS agencies directly.” This is important, he explained, because when payment is made directly to the patient, they often do not know what the check is for and the EMS agency can have difficulty collecting what they are owed for the ambulance service.
“I hope when I stand before you the next EMS week, I can thank you not only for recognizing the work of our providers but also for helping to turn concern into action,” Davidson concluded.
Commission chair Jamila Winder suggested that the commissioners meet with Davidson to discuss how they can facilitate meetings with other elected officials to find more financial support. She also commented that for her EMS work is personal because for five years EMS staff helped her care for her bed-ridden parents.
Commissioner Thomas DiBello remarked that the state makes the laws and the townships provide the services, but the county sits in the middle of everything. He noted that when the current commissioners started their terms in 2024 a study was started on EMS services in Montgomery County, but he’s frustrated because he doesn’t know where the study stands. As county commissioner DiBello observed, they need to get more actively involved and push the recommendations that are in the study.
During the commissioner’s comments Winder recognized Leon Smith for being named National Teacher of the Year. Although Smith teaches in the Haverford School District in Delaware County, he is a Montgomery County resident, living in Upper Dublin. Also, commissioner Neil Makhija reported that in the election on Tuesday, 85,000 Montgomery County residents voted at the polls and 61,000 absentee ballots were received.