PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Pennsylvania House will hold a hearing Wednesday on EMS and first responders, and the challenges some area EMS directors are facing.
“The financial situation, in a nutshell, is dismal for EMS throughout the state of Pennsylvania,” Plymouth Community Ambulance Association Chief of Operations Tom Trojansky said.
“Across the commonwealth, agencies are struggling to provide service, cover costs, and be financially stable,” said Narberth Ambulance Chief Chris Flanagan.
Trojansky said insurance reimbursements often don’t cover costs, and state and local funding hasn’t kept up.
“When people call 911, they expect EMS to show up. Sometimes, that doesn't happen because of the lack of funding,” said Trojansky.
He said the average pay across most of Pennsylvania for an EMT is about $15 an hour, and about $20 an hour for a paramedic.
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“A high percentage of paramedics and EMTs work two or three jobs,” said Trojansky. “They're working 70, 80, 90 hours a week at different organizations not only to make a living, but because there is a staffing issue.”
Trojansky says with a lack of funding, the level of pay can’t keep up with the level of training and the importance of the job, making it hard to recruit and maintain staff.
“That one or two minutes where it takes an ambulance a little bit longer to come from a further-away distance, because the staffing isn't where it's supposed to be at an adequate level, [and it] could cost someone their life," said Trojansky.
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Flanagan said he’d like to see EMS treated similar to police with dedicated local funding, a pension fund and better health care to help recruit and maintain staff.
“If they spend 20 years saving lives that they have a pension after their back is shot and their health is altered from working night shift and taking on extremely sick patients,” said Flanagan.
“When somebody is lost in your family, nothing matters, your job, your country club, what kind of house you have. You will do anything at that moment in time to reverse the effects of a possible loved one passing.”
Pennsylvania has taken steps to try to help with additional funding in the 2022-23 state budget, but officials say a crisis is looming and long-term changes are needed.