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COATESVILLE—Tower Direct has relocated its medical units from Coatesville and the surrounding area, moving two of its units to Honeybrook and Elverson. This left several municipalities without primary advanced life support (ALS) coverage until more departments stepped in to fill the gap.
Minquas Fire Company of Downingtown, Westwood Fire Company of Coatesville and Good Fellowship Ambulance of West Chester have all taken on additional primary ALS coverage positions.
With Tower up in western Chester County, more than a dozen towns in Chester County and two towns in Lancaster County lost coverage of Medic 93’s long-standing advanced life support units in the area.
“There are no immediate solutions other than relying on other ALS units in the area,” said state Rep. Dan Williams, D-74th, of Sudsbury.
Minquas recently commissioned an additional MICU (Mobile Intensive Care Unit) staffed by paramedics and EMTs. The unit was housed at the Thorndale Fire Company after the two departments reached an agreement to keep the ambulance there. This section will cover major ALS in the city of Cal.
The Westwood Fire Company has commissioned a new department. This unit is a paramedic chase vehicle housed in the Sadsburyville Fire Company and provides primary coverage in Sadsbury and Lancaster County.
Good Fellowship Ambulance is taking additional cover with the MICU on Route 322 in East Bradford. They will now have elementary coverage in West Bradford and parts of Newlyn Township.
The fact that these three companies will take up the additional coverage area shows the pressure that domestic EMS companies are currently facing. Brandywine Hospital closed several months ago, and its staff is still dealing with long transport times and waits at other area hospitals worried about the extra patient load coming in.
County Commissioner Josh Maxwell said there are buyers for the former Brandywine Hospital site, but it’s up to Tower Health to close the sale. Until then, EMS units in western Chester County will have to deal with the stress of those long transport times.
Meanwhile, first responders are moving to fill the gaps until a permanent solution is found.
“The 911 center is constantly changing available medical units to make the ALS units as close to the public as possible, as they do today,” said Chuck Freese, emergency management coordinator. For South Chester County. “This may involve calling in medical professionals from the surrounding counties to get answers.”
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