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Montgomery EMS reports 1,514 medical 911 calls in 2024, flags rising non‑facility call rate
Summary
Montgomery EMS told the Board of Health it ran 1,514 911 medical calls in 2024, with call growth concentrated outside two high‑volume facilities; EMS leaders said removing those facilities shows a 4.3% growth rate and suggested floods, population shifts and aging residents influence trends.
Sid Saran, president of Montgomery EMS, told the Township of Montgomery Board of Health on March 12 that the squad handled 1,514 911 medical calls in 2024 and that call volumes have climbed since 2018 despite a COVID‑era dip.
"Last year, 2024, we had 1,514 calls," Saran said. He told the board the long‑term compound annual growth rate for the service is about 1.7% when all calls are included, but that figure masks local concentration: two facilities — Stonebridge (an assisted‑living site) and Carrier clinic — produce a disproportionate share of calls. "If we remove Stonebridge and Carrier, our call rate is actually going up 4.3%," he said.
Saran compared Montgomery’s per‑capita call rate with national figures. Citing a CDC figure from 2022, he said the national average is 47 calls per 100 people; for Montgomery Township he reported 6.4 calls per 100 people in 2024 (5.4 per 100 when Stonebridge and Carrier are excluded). Saran said demographic and utilization differences — including higher local access to primary care and different transportation patterns — likely drive the discrepancy.
The presentation broke down chief complaints and patterns that affect operations. Using dispatch (pre‑assessment) data, Saran listed the top calls in 2024 as falls, difficulty breathing, chest pain/cardiac events, motor‑vehicle collisions with injury and a catch‑all "sick person" category. He said difficulty breathing calls have increased over time and motor‑vehicle‑injury calls rose after COVID as commuting returned.
Saran also flagged operational and planning issues: roughly 28% of patients evaluated by Montgomery EMS declined transport to hospital after on‑scene assessment, a stable figure across recent years; dense corridors such as Route 206 and County Road 601 produced the most calls; and storms/flooding can create temporary response "islands" that complicate routing. "Two thirds of the calls are during the day," Saran said, and certain months in 2024 (May, July and December) showed higher volumes.
Board members pressed Saran on causes for recent increases and on data granularity. Members suggested correlating EMS accident locations with traffic‑safety data to identify hazardous intersections; Saran said the squad can and does map motor‑vehicle accidents and has shared data with local traffic safety officials.
The board asked for the slide deck and underlying data; Saran agreed to share slides and follow up with the township public‑health planner and administration. The consent agenda and routine reports were approved earlier in the meeting.
What’s next: Montgomery EMS will provide slides and data to township staff for further review; the board signaled interest in using EMS location data to inform traffic‑safety and flood‑response planning.
