EMS services sound the alarm

What to look for on this episode of Smart Talk:

When there is a medical emergency, you pick up the phone, dial 9-1-1 and first responders come to your aid. But what happens if there is no one there to answer your call?

Local emergency service providers are in a crisis and few Pennsylvanians realize how bad the situation is and how it may affect them, personally.

EMS providers say a lack of reliable and sustainable funding and staffing shortages are threatening the future of EMS services throughout the state. Without a solution, some EMS service providers may close their doors for good, leaving no one there to “answer the phone.” Already, there are half as many EMS services now than in the 1990s in Pennsylvania.

We discuss the EMS crisis on Wednesday’s Smart Talk with David Sanko, Executive Director, Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors, Jason Campbell, CEO South Central EMS service, and Donald A. DeReamus, Legislative Committee Chair, Ambulance Association of Pennsylvania.

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