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VMSC reports strong survival rates, says it’s mobilizing to cover Chester amid hospital closures
Summary
VMSC told the Montgomery Township board it handled 1,931 responses locally last year, has in‑house paramedic training and limited field-blood capability, and is deploying resources to assist Chester as hospital and EMS closures create a regional coverage gap.
Representatives of VMSC EMS updated Montgomery Township supervisors on local operations and on an expanding response role in nearby Chester, where hospital and EMS closures have strained emergency-care access.
Shane Wheeler, identified in the meeting as the chief executive officer of VMSC EMS, told the board VMSC ran 1,931 total responses in Montgomery Township last year, with an average call-to-scene time of 6 minutes 39 seconds and an average on-scene time of about 55 minutes. Wheeler reported 172 cardiac incidents, 27 confirmed strokes, 502 trauma incidents and 39 cardiac arrests in the township; he said 16 arrests received early CPR and seven patients were successfully resuscitated.
Wheeler highlighted clinical enhancements including prehospital ventilators, infusion pumps and a new in-house paramedic training program (10 students completed the first paramedic cohort and a new class of 13 is under way). He also said VMSC is among a small number of U.S. EMS agencies able to administer blood in the field, estimating start-up costs near $50,000 and citing a specialized mobile refrigerator cost of approximately $17,000.
Responding to board questions, Wheeler said VMSC is mobilizing reserve fleet and aggressive hiring to assist Chester municipalities after the region’s trauma center and hospital capacity have been reduced. He described the situation as a "humanitarian crisis" and said the agency is coordinating with local leaders to prevent service lapses while trying not to affect Montgomery Township response capacity.
Supervisors thanked VMSC for the regional support; staff noted the township contributed $200,000 toward VMSC this year from ARPA allocations. Wheeler said partnerships with hospitals and federal programs help diversify revenue but do not fully reimburse the costs of advanced clinical capabilities.
The board did not take formal action on regional mutual-aid tasks at the meeting but expressed appreciation and will continue oversight of contributions and operational impacts.
