HAMPTON TOWNSHIP, Pa. — If officials in Hampton Township have their way, then Shaler EMS will start answering its 911 calls, not Hampton Emergency Medical.
The township says Hampton EMS isn't up to speed.
“We are taking it very seriously -- the health and safety of our residents is our number one priority,” said Christopher Lochner, Hampton Township municipal manager.
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Channel 11 spoke with Lochner, who said the complaints about the EMS service began about a year-and-a-half ago.
Lochner said the ambulance service shares the Hampton name but isn't run by the township.
“They were concerned about how they were responding,” he said. “They weren't responding with the appropriate personnel and sometimes they weren't responding at all.”
Channel 11 got a hold of a township report which said "since April, Hampton Emergency Medical Services has either not responded or not responded properly to a third of its emergency calls."
“That's scary, they’re not responding. That's bad,” said resident Cindy Miller.
Officials in Hampton think so too and are working with Shaler to partner in an EMS authority which would put EMS service in Hampton by Jan. 1.
“We're going to have the onsite by Jan. 1 either way, even if we have to work under a mutual aid agreement with Shaler," Lochner said.
Channel 11 attempted to reach the owner of Hampton EMS several times Friday but got no response. In the past, he has told the township the service issues were a result of staffing problems.
Cox Media Group
