ASTON, Pa. — Four Delaware County communities now have round-the-clock paramedic coverage following the launch of the Aston Ambulance Authority.
The new service, which began March 24, serves Aston Township, Lower Chichester Township, Trainer and Marcus Hook with 17 paramedics, an EMS chief and a medical director, Delco Today reported.
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The launch comes after the May closure of Crozer-Chester Medical Center and Taylor Hospital, which left major gaps in emergency care and EMS coverage across Delaware County. Since then, nearby hospitals have seen sharp increases in emergency patients, while municipalities and healthcare nonprofits have worked to rebuild ambulance and EMS services that were once provided by Crozer.
Bruce Egan Jr., a veteran EMS leader with more than 30 years of experience, most of it with Crozer EMS, was sworn in as the new service’s first EMS chief.
Egan said the new paramedic service will be guided by community focus and clinical excellence. Paramedics with five years of experience will earn about $45 an hour, while full-time employees will make roughly $105,000 a year, with 10% contributed toward retirement benefits.
Egan said the new authority was only possible because of support from local municipalities and residents after Crozer Health’s collapse left the area without prehospital care.
Without that backing from the community and elected leaders, he said, the new paramedic service likely would not exist.
