Saxonburg EMS asks for financial assistance from municipalities
WINFIELD TWP — Like most EMS agencies in the state, Saxonburg Volunteer Fire Company Ambulance Division is facing a financial crunch.
Chuck Lewis, division president, stood before the Winfield Township supervisors Thursday night, July 31, and asked for financial assistance in the form of a 0.5-mill tax increase to fund EMS services.
Saxonburg’s ambulance division has dealt with staffing shortages since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and those who remain are being spread thin covering the division’s wide footprint.
“We’re at a point where if we take another hit, like what happened with COVID, we’re on the edge in terms of being comfortably solvent,” Lewis said.
Not helping matters is the fact that Medicare and Medicaid typically only pay EMS services a fraction of what it costs for an average transport.
“We have to bill quite a bit higher because … Medicare cuts it in about half and says, ‘that's all we're going to allow you to get paid,’” Lewis said. “Our billing is consistent with what other agencies bill. We’re not overbilling. We like to be the lowest-cost service in the area.”
State law permits municipalities to impose a tax of up to 0.5 mills to exclusively fund emergency medical services, although proposed legislation in the state’s General Assembly, House Bill 393, is looking to raise the cap to 5 mills. The bill passed the state House in May with a vote of 120-83.
Last year, the state passed Act 54 into law, which — among other changes — allowed a limited number of municipalities (mainly in the Philadelphia area) to raise their EMS tax millage to as high as 5 mills.
“As we go through budget season, what we’re asking is you folks consider providing a half-mill tax,” Lewis said.
As a fundraising measure, the ambulance division offers subscription membership — a monthly payment in exchange for discounted ambulance transport. Saxonburg VFC offers other benefits such as free lift assists.
“The ambulance subscription in 2024 brought in $120,000,” Lewis said. “So that represents our growth and our ability to pay the bills, take care of the building and buy new equipment we need.”
According to documents provided by Lewis, Saxonburg VFC mailed 7,525 subscription advertisements and gained 1,724 new subscribers — a hit rate of 22.9%. Winfield Township accounted for 382 of those new subscribers.
In addition to considering the implementation of a separate EMS tax, Lewis called upon the township to assist with the ambulance division in helping get the word out about this year’s subscription drive.
Saxonburg’s ambulance division covers five municipalities in Butler County — Saxonburg itself; Winfield, Clinton and Jefferson townships; and a portion of Buffalo Township.
The division has 19 paid staff members, including seven paramedics, 11 EMTs and a secretary, as well as nine volunteers. Lewis says, while staffing levels are healthy compared to some other agencies in Pennsylvania, the division still is seeking additional EMTs.
“We’re OK, but we could use two or three more full-timers,” Lewis said.
A boost in funding, he says, would help the division recruit and retain employees. Full-time staff are paid $18-20 an hour.
“We're trying to get it up to $25 or $30 so we can pull people from other places like Burger King and Amazon and places that pay so much better,” Lewis said. “Of course, that costs money.”
Lewis says he and the ambulance division plan to make a similar presentation to the other municipalities in their coverage area.
