South Hills EMS providers officially combine forces

BALDWIN BOROUGH, Pa. — Brentwood Emergency Medical Services officially joined their neighbors in Baldwin on Tuesday.

“I think it’s going to be a very positive impact to the South Hills community,” said Baldwin Emergency Medical Services Chief Todd Plunkett. “We’re out on the streets now so you’ll see us out there handling calls, working together.”

The partnership had been in the works for several weeks, after Brentwood Council unanimously voted to have its emergency personnel join Baldwin’s.

The move comes as Brentwood looks to demolish its former municipal building, which had still housed its EMS. At one time, a Request For Proposals was advertised, but leaders ultimately all concluded that the consolidation was ideal. 

Plunkett told Channel 11 that his department currently serves Pleasant Hills, West Mifflin and Whitaker as well. It responds to about 11,000 calls per year. Serving Brentwood, he estimated, will add about 1,600 calls.

The chief said they are well-staffed and ready to respond. He said every full-time Brentwood EMS employee was offered new employment with Baldwin, and all but one accepted. Overall, they increased their department by 14 personnel, he said.

“The residents in the community can be very well-assured that we’re able to respond to all of our calls,” he said. “I’m very proud of what the paramedics and EMTs are out there doing ... the trucks might look a little different at times, they might look the same. But the same friendly paramedic faces are going to show up at their door to take care of their 911 problem.”

Absorbing Brentwood, he said, also means adding to their fleet. He said that existing residents can feel confident that they’ll continue to receive “the exact same high level of care, quick response, and highly qualified people.”

Plunkett told Channel 11 that the EMS providers have been working hard to learn their new service areas in recent days.

“We’ve gone to several drills at the schools before today,” he said. “It’s not just about responding to calls but being prepared to respond to those calls.”

Next month, Baldwin EMS will also enter into a partnership with West Homestead.

Plunkett said merging or consolidating agencies is the wave of the future, as funding challenges persist.

Nearly 30 years ago, he estimated that Allegheny County had roughly 130 EMS agencies. Now that number stands closer to 30.

“The funding’s not there, it’s just more difficult for reimbursement when we go out and handle emergency calls” he said.

“Cooperative agreements, mergers, are all things that are the wave of the future and we just have to kind of embrace that and make sure that while doing all that, we’re still delivering a high level of care in a customer service environment where the residents are satisfied with what we’re doing. But we also deliver the best possible care available here in Pennsylvania.”

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