As Manheim Township restructures its emergency medical service coverage, township leaders say residents will continue to receive care, even when the two primary EMS units assigned to the township are already tied up on calls.Agreements with LEMSA and Penn State LifeLionThe township currently has agreements with Lancaster Emergency Medical Services Association and Penn State Health LifeLion to provide two EMS units in service around the clock.Manheim Township Manager Rick Kane said that amounts to more coverage than was available on some days under the previous association.“It may not be the ambulance you expect, but you’re always going to get quality care when you call 911,” said Rob Walker.Organization sees uptick in calls since transitionWalker, executive director and chief of the Warwick Community Ambulance Association, said his organization has long been part of Manheim Township’s response system and has seen a steady number of calls since the transition.“We have traditionally been part of their response model,” Walker said. “So, are we doing a few more? Yeah. But not so much that we’re not able to meet the demand here in Lititz and Warwick Township.”Anticipated adjustment period Walker said Warwick anticipated an adjustment period in Manheim Township and made changes in advance.“We increased our staffing and changed our deployment model a little bit,” he said. “We have an extra ambulance on during the day, and we’re able to respond to those calls for service as they come in.”Longer response times possible with shift Because mutual-aid ambulances may sometimes be responding from farther away, Kane acknowledged that longer response times can happen in some cases.“As previously, and as occurs everywhere in Lancaster County, if those units are out on other 911 calls, and a cover unit is coming into the township on mutual aid from elsewhere, yes, there may be a longer response time,” Kane said.Still, Kane said that it is not a new issue and is something that has occurred for years, both in Manheim Township and in other communities across the county.He also said the township has not received any complaints from residents about longer EMS response times.
As Manheim Township restructures its emergency medical service coverage, township leaders say residents will continue to receive care, even when the two primary EMS units assigned to the township are already tied up on calls.
Agreements with LEMSA and Penn State LifeLion
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The township currently has agreements with Lancaster Emergency Medical Services Association and Penn State Health LifeLion to provide two EMS units in service around the clock.
Manheim Township Manager Rick Kane said that amounts to more coverage than was available on some days under the previous association.
“It may not be the ambulance you expect, but you’re always going to get quality care when you call 911,” said Rob Walker.
Organization sees uptick in calls since transition
Walker, executive director and chief of the Warwick Community Ambulance Association, said his organization has long been part of Manheim Township’s response system and has seen a steady number of calls since the transition.
“We have traditionally been part of their response model,” Walker said. “So, are we doing a few more? Yeah. But not so much that we’re not able to meet the demand here in Lititz and Warwick Township.”
Anticipated adjustment period
Walker said Warwick anticipated an adjustment period in Manheim Township and made changes in advance.
“We increased our staffing and changed our deployment model a little bit,” he said. “We have an extra ambulance on during the day, and we’re able to respond to those calls for service as they come in.”
Longer response times possible with shift
Because mutual-aid ambulances may sometimes be responding from farther away, Kane acknowledged that longer response times can happen in some cases.
“As previously, and as occurs everywhere in Lancaster County, if those units are out on other 911 calls, and a cover unit is coming into the township on mutual aid from elsewhere, yes, there may be a longer response time,” Kane said.
Still, Kane said that it is not a new issue and is something that has occurred for years, both in Manheim Township and in other communities across the county.
He also said the township has not received any complaints from residents about longer EMS response times.
