Penn State Lifeline reports 2,283 borough responses in 2025; median response time 8:59
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Summary
Penn State Health Lifeline told council it responded to 2,283 calls in Columbia in 2025 and reported a median response time of 8 minutes, 59 seconds; Lifeline described staffing and dispatch challenges and plans to work with county 911 on call classification.
Keith McMinn, senior director of Penn State Health Lifeline, addressed Columbia Borough Council with a year-end EMS report and described staffing and system issues affecting response patterns.
McMinn reported that Lifeline responded to 2,283 calls in the borough in 2025 and said the median response time from 911 call to unit on scene was 8 minutes, 59 seconds. He explained why Lifeline reports median rather than average response times (to reduce the distortion from outliers), described leadership changes and the consolidated operations model for a six-county area, and said the service is working with the county 911 director on decisions about dispatching class 2 and 3 calls.
McMinn noted that only a small share of calls are time-critical (strokes, heart attacks and major trauma) and that changes to dispatch practice could prioritize availability for those emergencies. He offered to answer follow-up questions and said Lifeline will continue to coordinate with borough officials on event planning and emergency-management needs.
