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Dickinson Township cuts Yellow Breeches EMS, unanimously authorizes Cumberland Goodwill as primary provider
Summary
The Dickinson Township Board of Supervisors voted unanimously July 2 to terminate its contract with Yellow Breeches EMS and authorized a new agreement with Cumberland Goodwill EMS, citing response reliability, lower household membership costs and projected savings; the board said coverage will not be interrupted.
Chairman Rob Kole said the Board of Supervisors moved to protect township residents’ emergency medical coverage and finances when it voted unanimously to end Dickinson Township’s contract with Yellow Breeches EMS and to authorize a new service agreement with Cumberland Goodwill EMS (CGEMS).
Kole read a prepared statement saying the Board’s review, resident-impact analysis and financial evaluation supported the change. "First and foremost, Dickinson Township's highest priority is the health, safety, and well-being of our residents," he said, and described four reasons for the switch: protecting response reliability, lower household membership cost, immediate municipal savings in 2025, and long-term financial stability.
The statement said CGEMS would permanently station new units about 1.4 miles from the current Yellow Breeches headquarters, that CGEMS committed to providing "two full-time ALS units, staffed 24/7," and that CGEMS offers household memberships at $100 compared with Yellow Breeches' $125. Kole said CGEMS will honor any 2025 memberships previously purchased through Yellow Breeches and that the change would reduce the Township's 2025 EMS contribution by $5,000. He also characterized the Township's decade-long cost comparison as showing a 126% increase for Yellow Breeches versus a 17% increase for CGEMS over the same period; those figures were presented by the Board as part of its analysis and were not independently verified by the meeting record.
Following the presentation, the Board acted. "A motion was made by Chairman Kole and seconded by Vice Chairperson DeGaetano and the motion was passed unanimously to terminate the contract currently in place with Yellow Breeches EMS," the minutes state. The Board then unanimously authorized the Solicitor and Township Manager to enter into a new service agreement with Cumberland Goodwill EMS as the Township's primary provider.
All supervisors publicly thanked Yellow Breeches EMS staff for their years of service to the community. The minutes record no interruption in service during the transition and state the Township's intention to maintain rapid response times under the new provider arrangement.
The Board did not provide additional operational details in the meeting minutes about the timeline for CGEMS unit relocations, the specific contractual terms or any transition plan beyond the authorization to execute an agreement. The Solicitor and Township Manager were authorized to finalize the contract; the minutes do not show the signed contract or a start date for CGEMS operations in Dickinson Township.
The Board's action follows earlier managerial work and an ongoing EMS study by Robb Consulting that Manager Jill Lovett referenced during staff reports. Residents and EMS stakeholders may expect further details as the Solicitor and Manager complete the new agreement.
