By Jim Lockwood
The Times-Tribune
SCRANTON, Pa. — City council heard a request Monday from Pennsylvania Ambulance for the city to designate an official basic life support ambulance service.
Two ambulance companies serving the city include Pennsylvania Ambulance and Commonwealth Health Emergency Medical Services. The two types of 911 calls include advanced life support, for matters such as cardiac arrests, strokes and major trauma, and basic life support for calls such as sprains and flu-like symptoms.
Unlike many municipalities in the county, the city does not have a BLS-designated ambulance company, Pennsylvania Ambulance representatives — co-owner Dr. Steven Brunetti, Dr. Sean Morgan and paramedic/marketing director Michael McCormick — told council during its informal caucus before the regular weekly meeting.
‘Inappropriate’ use
The ALS model requires the closest ALS ambulance dispatched to those types of calls. But ALS ambulances often get dispatched to BLS calls because there is no BLS designation in Scranton. A BLS designation by the city would free up ALS ambulances for more serious calls.
“What we’ve been seeing is this inappropriate utilization of advanced life support resources to transport basic life support problems,” Brunetti said. “We manage this the best we can,” by trying to put ambulances in best positions, but “there’s no real set plan on how this should happen.”
Council said it would forward the request to Mayor Bill Courtright, because legislation for such a designation would originate in the administration.
Council members said they never heard of any problems with the system.
“What I’m thinking is, if it’s not broken, why fix it?” Councilman Bill Gaughan said.
Council President Pat Rogan said he got a phone call earlier Monday from Commonwealth Health EMS requesting equal time on the issue. Council will hear from that firm at an upcoming meeting.
If the city were to designate Pennsylvania Ambulance as the BLS provider, Commonwealth Health EMS would not get dispatched to BLS calls, Brunetti said. Both companies would remain ALS providers in the city, dispatched by proximity to ALS calls.
Brunetti did not specifically ask for Pennsylvania Ambulance to get the BLS nod.
“It’s for you to choose whoever you think you want to choose, but we think you need a BLS provider,” Brunetti said. “Pick somebody. That’s all I’m saying.”
Reached by phone after the meeting, Commonwealth Health EMS Director of Government Relations Tim Rowland, who also is Lackawanna County coroner, said he could not immediately comment.
Copyright 2018 The Times Tribune