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County EMS leaders warn of staffing, funding crisis and ask commissioners to convene municipal, state partners
Summary
Ken Davidson and local EMS leaders told the Montgomery County commissioners that staffing shortages and unstable funding have eroded ambulance coverage, leading to longer response times; they urged county-led coordination, municipal participation and state reimbursement reform (House Bill 1152) to stabilize services.
Ken Davidson, assistant chief of Second Armor's Rescue Squad and president of the Montgomery County Ambulance Association, told the county commissioners on May 21 that local emergency medical services are in a sustained crisis driven chiefly by staffing shortages and unstable funding. "There are more and more times that we are forced to downgrade from advanced life support to basic life support coverage," Davidson said, adding that Montgomery County agencies responded to more than 93,000 calls in the past year.
Davidson urged the commissioners to convene municipal officials and state lawmakers and to press for legislation that would require insurers to reimburse EMS agencies directly under a statewide fee schedule while protecting patients from balance bills. "We need your partnership in working with the elected officials and leadership of all 62 municipalities to establish proper support and sustainable funding for EMS as an essential public safety service," he said.
Commissioners acknowledged the problem and said phase two of a county EMS study is completed and available for review. One commissioner said the study's second phase "is written up and ready to be moved forward," and pledged to convene follow-up meetings with municipal leaders and county staff to examine feasible interventions within the county's authority. Commissioners also noted limits on county power — local municipalities directly provide EMS in Pennsylvania — and said their role will be to coordinate, advocate to the Commonwealth and consider targeted county supports where legally permissible.
Davidson and other EMS leaders recommended several approaches in the presentation and subsequent discussion: pursuing state legislation (House Bill 1152 in the House and a companion Senate bill), encouraging more municipalities to adopt dedicated EMS taxes (fewer than one-third currently do), exploring county-level financial or logistical supports identified in the phase-two study, and improving recruitment and retention of providers by identifying career pathways and reducing administrative friction.
The commissioners did not commit to specific new budget allocations during the meeting but agreed to schedule focused conversations with EMS representatives, county administration, and municipal officials. One commissioner asked EMS leaders to bring concrete examples of how other jurisdictions support local EMS so county officials could evaluate options. The board said it will report out next steps after those convenings and after further review of the phase-two study.
