Officials: Butler County EMS services in financial jeopardy
A person can suffer permanent brain damage or death if no one administers aid to them within minutes after going into cardiac arrest.
The patient’s best chance of survival is a quick response, but for around 140 hours in June, Karns City Regional Ambulance Service was unable to respond to calls due to a staff shortage, requiring other area EMS agencies to instead service the 150 square miles of territory Karns City normally covers.
Mark Lauer, CEO of Karns City Regional Ambulance Service, said his is not the only EMS agency struggling to keep a heartbeat because of financial shortfalls, and the situation could get worse if no solution is found.
“We cover 11 municipalities... last year we sent all them a letter asking for them to place the half-mill EMS tax. Some did, some chose to do an annual donation of equal or greater to tax itself,” Lauer said. “It is imperative that the county come up with a financial solution to our woes, particularly the small services. People's lives depend on having a fast and good EMS service.”
Karns City ambulance started in 2018 when the volunteer fire departments in the area could no longer handle the emergency call volume, Lauer said, and until recently, the service didn’t receive consistent funding from the municipalities it covers.
Conrad Pfeifer, executive director of Quality EMS, which is based in Adams Township, said municipalities are required to provide emergency services, including EMS, but they are not required to fund them through taxes or annual budgeting. He said changing the requirements for municipal funding could greatly improve the financial anguish ambulance services across the county and the state have been facing.
