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Franklin County proclaims EMS Week; officials highlight call volume, awards and shifting service coverage
Summary
On May 14 the Franklin County commissioners proclaimed May 18–24, 2025, Emergency Medical Services Week. Deputy Chief Doug Bittner presented countywide 2024 call statistics, named agencies, noted service-area changes and recognized clinical saves and long-serving providers.
The Franklin County Board of Commissioners on May 14 proclaimed May 18–24, 2025, as Emergency Medical Services Week and heard a presentation from Deputy Chief Doug Bittner, regional manager of prehospital services for WellSpan Health, on county EMS activity and changes.
Bittner told the commissioners that in 2024 the county recorded about 23,862 combined fire and EMS incidents, with roughly 21,744 EMS events dispatched that year. He said dispatchers entered 82,232 events in the computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system and that Franklin County telecommunicators handled 112,755 phone calls in 2024. "The county oversees the 9 1 1 center," Bittner said, describing the volume and the role of the Franklin County Department of Emergency Services.
Bittner listed primary EMS providers serving Franklin County and noted service-area changes: Company 16, South Mountain Volunteer Fire Department, no longer provides EMS and the county reassigned most of that coverage to Mont Alto, with some shifts to Fayetteville and Adams Regional. He thanked South Mountain for years of service and described the general fragility of rural EMS coverage.
The presentation included recognition of local clinical saves and prehospital deliveries. Shippensburg EMS and WellSpan EMS personnel were named for clinical saves; individual providers slated for recognition next week included Chambersburg Fire Department Capt. Randall Pryor and Chief Dustin Allrich, each to be honored for 25 years of service. Bittner also noted that Chambersburg Fire Department marks 100 years as an EMS provider.
Commissioners thanked volunteers and career providers and described EMS as critical to public safety. The board voted to approve the EMS Week proclamation.
