Center Township supervisors are taking a welcome proactive stance on the growing emergency medical services worker shortage by considering hiring a full-time firefighter and paramedic employee.

For the past decade, according to the TraumaSoft database, EMS agencies nationwide have faced a serious and growing workforce shortage that threatens the effectiveness of EMS care in communities such as Center Township.

More and more certified EMS professionals are leaving the field for reasons including job burnout, limited career advancement and the still lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. TraumaSoft reports 60% of EMS agencies report they are unable to meet 911 call demand.

That’s illustrated by figures presented by Unionville Assistant Fire Chief Nathan Wulff at the July 29 Center Township Board of Supervisors’ special meeting. Wulff noted the annual call volume for incidents rose from 598 in 2023 to 685 in 2025.

The proposal to hire a full-time firefighter/paramedic should help ease the burden on volunteers, as well as being able to cut down on call response times by having someone at the fire station full-time.

Of course, having to pay for a firefighter/paramedic is a thorny issue for the township. In March, township supervisors voted to draft a resolution that would add a 0.5-mill tax in the township which has the potential to raise roughly $42,000 annually and add $5.34 to a township resident’s tax bill.

An additional tax of any kind is going to be unpopular, but its effects would be immediately apparent in faster response times to 911 calls and improved EMS services.

While no final decision on an EMS tax or full-time position has been made, we urge Center Township to continue to work with the Unionville Fire Department to explore the possibility and to consider seeking grants to at least partially fund such a position.

Unfortunately, the time has passed when rural communities were able to use volunteer staff and community fundraiser to reliably provide EMS services. Center Township has recognized this and has taken the first steps in addressing the problem.

— EF