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LifeTeam reports 91% availability in Springettsbury; staff cite staffing and mutual-aid limits
Summary
LifeTeam (Community Life Team) presented October operations showing 461 911 calls (384 transports), 395 township responses with 46 'missed' calls (coverage 91.41%); presenters said staffing and concurrent calls necessitate mutual aid and county dispatch ensures ALS when required.
LifeTeam—represented by Chief Barry Albertson and Deputy Chief Jeff Salisbury—briefed the Springettsbury Township Board of Supervisors on EMS activity and staffing during an October snapshot.
The presenters reported 461 total 911 calls for the month, of which 384 resulted in patient transport and 77 were non‑transports. They said the LifeTeam units operating out of the 26 station recorded 395 calls in Springettsbury Township; of those, 46 calls were counted as 'missed' and the presenters calculated a coverage rate of 91.41% for the township during the month.
LifeTeam described unit configuration at the Commons Drive station: one 24‑hour ALS (advanced life support) unit and a second truck generally staffed as an intermediate/BLS unit (often 8 a.m.–8 p.m.). Presenters explained the differences between BLS, intermediate and ALS capabilities and said LifeTeam runs an internal training pipeline to move employees from EMT to paramedic over time.
On mutual aid and dispatch, LifeTeam said county dispatch coordinates resources so that if an ALS-capable unit is needed and LifeTeam is unavailable, another agency with paramedic capability will be dispatched. Presenters also described how fire departments supplement care by responding on certain class‑1 calls and by helping with lift assists or Knox Box building access when needed.
During board questioning, a supervisor recalled that a prior contractor (White Rose Ambulance) had indicated it could cover all township calls when contracted. LifeTeam replied that staffing realities, call concurrency and operational cost structures make guaranteeing 100% local coverage unrealistic and that mutual aid and county dispatch are used to ensure appropriate ALS resources respond when required.
Board members thanked the presenters and raised no formal policy motions during the exchange.
