After a two and a half hour discussion between Exeter Ambulance Association and the Exeter Township Volunteer Fire Department, supervisors will ultimately decide how to revitalize 911 services for the township.
Chief of Operations of EAA Jon Herbsleb, and Chief of ETVFD, Robert Jordan, along with representatives from both organizations, met Thursday, Dec. 11 to further discuss fire-based EMS, as well as other options to financially assist the EAA; Township Supervisor Dona Starr mediated the discussion.
With insurance carriers lacking to provide EAA with complete reimbursement of funds, and customers refusing to pay service bills, 911 calls are sending EAA under. Proposal updates from both emergency service organizations have been presented multiple times since 2013.
The EAA recently proposed a $55 per household ($450,000 in total) fee to help alleviate their debt and provide for future developments, expansions and improvements but has since retracted the request.
“We need help with the debt load,” Herbsleb said when asked to specify EAA’s immediate needs. “We get help out of there, we can rebuild ourselves into a very workable model. We’re right at that edge… Cross cooperation has got to be our future.”
A suggestion was made by EAA to have the township purchase an unused building to offset their expenditures.
ETVFD submitted a revised proposal for a fire-based EMS service where employees would be cross-trained for all emergency situations.
“It would be a value added to the community,” Jordan said. Training includes fire, EMS, rescue, and hazmat. In the proposal, ETVFD would be the “primary provider of 911 ambulance services to Exeter Township.”
Additional tactics include approaching neighboring townships to come forward with the funds they owe the EAA.
Both the EAA and ETVFD are willing to work together, but will rely on direction from the township board of supervisors with how to proceed.
The next Exeter Township Board of Supervisors meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 30, where the 2015 budget will be adopted.