By Kevin Stairiker
LNP
LANCASTER, Pa. — As a former self-described “hellion” as a kid, Chris Krichten was used to seeking out dangerous situations. At 14, a family member who happened to be the deputy fire chief at the firehouse in Krichten’s native Fairfield borough in Adams County had a suggestion for Krichten’s parents.
“I know what we’re going to do, your boy is going to join the fire company. We’ll direct him the right way,” the now 54-year-old Krichten remembers the deputy chief saying. Four decades later, Krichten is once again joining a fire company, albeit this time as the assistant fire chief of EMS at Manheim Township Fire Rescue.
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“It has definitely been a commitment,” Krichten said of his years of service during an interview at MTFR Station 204.
Krichten’s career has been a split between EMS duties and fire rescue, most recently at WellSpan Health in York, where he spent 24 years working his way up from a paramedic to the senior director of emergency management and emergency medical services. Scott Little, MTFR chief, said that there were 48 applicants for the job, with some resumes coming from as far as Florida and New Mexico to fill the position. Little said that he had met Krichten a few times in passing prior to the start of his tenure in Township in April.
“He’s great, we’re knocking out a lot of the timeline, the benchmarks,” Little said in a recent phone call. “He’s out in the community, engaging with our staff, getting to know their strengths and how best he can fit into the organization. Just being available and present for our community is what matters.”
Krichten arrives not just in a new role, but an entirely new landscape for emergency health in the Township. In April, the Manheim Township Ambulance Association, which had operated in the township since 1971, ceased providing ambulance services after commissioners voted the previous November to switch primary carriers. Initially, the plan was to contract Penn State Life Lion to staff ambulances, but commissioners later reversed that decision to make EMS staff Township employees.
MTFR is actively hiring 12 positions onboarding in July and another 14 in November, including basic and advanced EMTs, paramedics and paramedic supervisors. In the meantime, Penn State Life Lion is servicing the northern half of Township operating out of the Neffsville Fire Station, while Lancaster Emergency Medical Services Association is servicing the southern half of Township out of the now-former MTAA headquarters in Township, which MTAA still owns, according to Little. Both services run ambulances seven days a week, 24 hours a day, and are expected to fill in until the end of July.
The move to combine EMS and fire rescue under one, municipally provided roof is a first for Lancaster County, and Little said that he is modeling the organization after successful operations in Chambersburg and Upper Merion Township. Krichten said that he sees cases like MTAA’s dissolution as a problem volunteer organizations throughout the country are facing.
“EMS is in crisis mode all across the country,” said Krichten. “Having a municipal-based agency like this, having that funding, you don’t have to worry about the backend. Like, how am I going to buy nasal cannulas to give oxygen tomorrow?”
Krichten said he would welcome any former MTAA staffers in MTFR and noted that they have already received several applications from former staff members.
This early into his tenure, Krichten said he is meeting staff at Township’s firehouses while getting used to the traffic that is this area’s hallmark. He is also overseeing a $370,000 equipment overhaul thanks to a lease with Stryker, a national medical equipment provider. A side room in Station 204 is filled with brand new tech including CPR machines, cardiac monitors and AEDs, the latter of which will be split between MTFR and police. The lease allows MTFR to replace all equipment every five years, as well as replace any faulty equipment with a day’s notice.
“When I started, we were writing everything on paper, and now we’re using iPads,” Krichten said of the evolving technology. “It makes it more beneficial for our patients and gets us back in service faster.”
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