Northwest EMS, Inc.
Serving the communities of northwestern Lancaster County
Annual Report
2014
We once again thank you for your support of Northwest EMS. We depend on you to close the
gap between our operating expenses and the payments we receive for our services.
As we look back on 2014, we are elated with the smooth integration of Manheim Veterans
Memorial Ambulance with Northwest EMS. We continue to pursue our mission of providing
quality emergency medical care around-the-clock to our service areas.
Our major project for 2015 is to replace our quarters in the 110-year-old former Manheim fire
hall with a new building on West Colebrook Street in Manheim borough. Early returns of
pledges show the community is fully behind the project, and we anticipate moving in by the
end of this year.
Enclosed is our 2014 annual report for your records and information. Please don't hesitate to
contact us with any questions.
Respectfully,
Mission Statement:
To improve the quality of life within our
service area by providing 24-hour basic
and advanced life support coverage and
offering educational programs relating
to emergency health services.
Northwest EMS, Inc.
Serving the communities of northwestern Lancaster County
The Elizabethtown station, 380 West Bainbridge Street
Located in Elizabethtown borough, the Elizabethtown station serves as our primary headquarters and corporate offices.
The station houses seven ambulances, two squads (or supervisor vehicles), three wheelchair vans, a Cub Cadet ATV and a Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) trailer.
The Maytown station, 186 Rock Point Road
Located in East Donegal Township, at the East Donegal Township Municipal Building, the Maytown station houses one ambulance.
The Manheim station, 26 East High Street
Located in Manheim borough, the Manheim station houses two ambulances.
Throughout 2014 site development and building plans were developed for the new Manheim station which we anticipate being built on West Colebrook Street in Manheim borough in 2015
Serving our Community
– One patient at a time
2014
BY THE NUMBERS:
Population Served
(Based on 2010 census)
52,300 55,200
Population in BLS primary response area Population in ALS primary response area
Square Miles 127.5 Square miles represent primary response area in Lancaster County
Northwest EMS also has primary response area in Dauphin and Lebanon Counties
Municipalities
(primary response area served)
13 Conoy Twp E Donegal Twp W Donegal Twp Elizabeth Twp Elizabethtown Borough Manheim Borough Marietta Borough Mount Joy Twp Penn Twp Rapho Twp
Conewago Twp (Dauphin County) Londonderry Township (Dauphin County) S Londonderry Twp (Lebanon County)
# of Stations 3 Elizabethtown, Manheim, Maytown
# of Licensed Vehicles 15 10 ambulances
2 squads
3 wheelchair vans
Special Use Vehicles 3 1 car for travel/training use
1 Cub Cadet/utility vehicle 1 MCI trailer
Services Emergency Response (Basic and Advanced Life Support)
Non-Emergency Basic Life Support and Wheelchair Transports
Stand-By Services
Education, Prevention, and Outreach Services to the communityCareer Staff 65 career professionals (FT & PT) 28 volunteers
Operating Budget 3.3 Million
Uncompensated Care
(Uncompensated Care includes bad debt, contractual obligation and cost of honoring subscription membership benefits)
$501,998
*52.90% of all medical billings were adjusted by contractual obligation
911 Dispatched Calls 6,941
Number of Patients Cared For – 8,692
(Shown by Municipality)
The following municipalities are not in the primary response area of Northwest EMS:
Mount Joy Borough Columbia Borough West Hempfield Twp Other locations
*Indicates municipalities that support NWEMS
Elizabethtown Borough * 1401 West Donegal Twp * 1225 Penn Twp * 729 Mount Joy Twp * 584 Manheim Borough * 542 Rapho Twp * 489 East Donegal Twp * 466 Conoy Twp * 213
Mount Joy Borough 211
Columbia Borough 203
Marietta Borough 100
Londonderry Twp (Dauphin Co) 89
Conewago Twp (Dauphin Co) 47
West Hempfield Twp 31
South Londonderry Twp (Lebanon Co) 28
Elizabeth Twp 16
Other Locations 764
Routine wheelchair transports 1554
Total patients cared for 8,692
Average Response Time 2.1 minutes
from dispatch to response
5.5 minutes
from response to on-scene
Customer Satisfaction Ratings 88% of responses rated the services as “outstanding” or “excellent”
9% of responses rated the services as “average”
3% of responses rated the services as less than average or no rating indicated
Northwest EMS
is a not-for-profit 501C3 corporation with oversight provided by a
16-member Board of Directors which is comprised of local community leaders who offer a
wide variety of professional experience.
Each Board member
voluntarily offers his/her expertise to the corporate management and
oversight of the operation of Northwest EMS.
2014 Board of Directors:
Dale Ressler, Chairman Owner, Dream Maker Bath & Kitchen
Robert Enck, Vice Chairman Vice President/Community Ambassador, Susquehanna Bank Bill Prazenica, Treasurer Chief Financial Officer, Masonic Villages
Greg Gobrecht, Secretary Codes Compliance, Elizabethtown Borough Jay Bell Senior System Engineer/SME, retired
Kathy Burkhart Quality Assurance Director, Pharmaloz Manufacturing, Inc. Jeffrey Butler Manager, East Donegal Township (not present for picture) Julie Cooper Attorney, Gingrich, Smith, Klingensmith & Dolan Rodney Fink Retired President, Builders Specialty Services
Nancy Florey Vice President of Human Resources at Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences Scott Kingsborough Executive Director, Northwest EMS
James Leaming, MD Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, Penn State College of Medicine/Penn State HMC and Medical Director for Northwest EMS
Wayne Martin, EdD Retired Superintendent, Northern Lebanon School District Miles Newman, DO Physician and Medical Director for Northwest EMS Julian Richter Vice President, RDR PR, LLC
Matt Shenk Public Safety Trainer, APCO International
In addition to their role on the corporate board, each member is asked to serve on at least one
working committee. Committees include the Finance & Properties Committee, the Personnel
Committee, the Long-Range Planning Committee and the Public Relations Committee.
Services:
Services include:
Emergency, 911 dispatched services as well as Routine Transportation Services:
Advanced life support (ALS) services
Basic life support (BLS) services
Quick Response Services (QRS)
Mass Casualty Trailer (MCI) services
BLS ambulance transportation services
Wheelchair transportation services
Community outreach services include:
Providing CPR & Hands-Only CPR® instruction to the community
Providing Basic First Aid certification to the community
Assisting scout groups in obtaining merit badge achievements
Providing stand-by services to sporting events and public gatherings
Providing continuing education courses to EMS personnel
Providing education and prevention services to schools, youth sports leagues, and community groups
Hosting Camp Lady Bug and other educational opportunities
Providing educational presentations to school groups, church groups and others
Presenting a Mock DUI/Prom Promise demonstration to local high schools that includes a variety of safety messages for teen drivers on the dangers of distracted driving, driving under the influence and other risky behaviors
Northwest EMS
is licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health as both a basic and an advanced (BLS and ALS) life support provider. BLS services are provided by EMT’s and include basic care and treatment such as stabilizing fractures, controlling bleeding and other basic treatment and transport services. ALS services include more advanced care and are provided by a Paramedic who can provide cardiac monitoring, IV interventions or other similar advanced care. QRS services are non-transport BLS services that are provided by a single provider and are used for some of our stand-by events.Certification levels for EMS providers in Pennsylvania include:
Emergency Medical Responder (EMR)
Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
Paramedic (EMT-P)
Pre-Hospital RN
Physicians
Our personnel consist of approximately 65 career and 28 volunteer paramedics and EMTs.
In addition to our emergency personnel, Northwest EMS sponsors an Explorer Post program where persons 16 and older can join, receive basic first aid training and have opportunities to observe on calls and assist at community events while they consider if EMS is the right vocation for them. Explorer Post members often continue their education and become
EMT’s and Paramedics.
Northwest EMS is a Master Level EMS for Children provider, meeting or exceeding the minimum licensure requirements set forth by the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Bureau of EMS for such recognition.
Master Level Recognition is voluntary and is a four-part process of approval:
1. The agency must demonstrate that it has, in service, specific pediatric equipment and devices 2. Show proof that all providers have submitted to the Pennsylvania Childline Background Check
process
3. The agency must show proof that all providers have successfully completed specific pediatric education, as identified by the Pennsylvania Department of Health
4. The agency must provide a minimum number of educational and preventative outreach opportunities in their communities that focus on the health, welfare and safety of children
Lancaster County-Wide Communications (LCWC) is the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) which dispatches all Lancaster County emergency response agencies, including EMS dispatches for Northwest EMS. LCWC dispatched over 76,886 EMS related incidents county-wide in 2014.
EMS dispatches for Northwest EMS totaled 6,941 in 2014
LCWC uses computer-aided design technology (CAD), as well as Emergency Medical Dispatched (EMD) protocol to determine EMS response criteria.
EMS dispatches in Lancaster County are prioritized by Class 1, Class 2, or Class 3 categories.
Class 1 emergencies are those calls that the caller has indicated include life-threatening situations requiring ALS dispatch and an emergency response by EMS with the use of emergency warning devices (lights and sirens).
Class 2 emergencies are those calls where the caller has indicated an emergency situation, but the patient’s condition
does not appear to require ALS services, but does indicate an emergent response by EMS is appropriate with the use of emergency warning devices.
Class 3 emergencies are those calls where the caller indicates the patient is stable, but in need of an ambulance. Response to Class 3 calls does not require the use of emergency warning devices.
Map displays the Northwest EMS response area.
Company History
Northwest EMS is a regional EMS system made up of several community ambulance services that wanted to be able to provide the highest level of care available while still functioning with a small-town feel. The first merger of our
community ambulances took place in 2000, when the Elizabethtown Fire Company Ambulance and the Northwest Advanced Life Support Unit joined forces to become Northwest EMS, Inc., followed by the Bainbridge Fire Company Ambulance and the Maytown-East Donegal Township Ambulance joining in 2004. Most recently, the Manheim Veterans Memorial Ambulance Association merged operations with Northwest EMS in 2013.
These mergers have been successful, in large part, due to the commitment and vision of the members of each of those associations, who have desired to insure that their communities continue to have access to the highest level of pre-hospital care available. Each merger has been handled with a focus on insuring that the unique needs of each
community has been considered and many of the providers of those agencies have remained as career or volunteer staff with Northwest EMS after the merger.
Northwest EMS
is a company that is built on the belief that to accomplish our mission we must build on the strengths of our founding community ambulance partners and the vision that they had for EMS in the community, as well as continually develop business practices that will allow us to adapt to the changing market place. We believe that our success is measured, not only by our corporate business practices, but also on the satisfaction of our customers and successful patient outcomes.Northwest EMS is recognized throughout South Central Pennsylvania as a professional EMS service that provides excellent EMS response services as well as an agency that is active in community outreach services, public safety
education, and prevention services. Our staff takes pride in serving our communities one patient at a timeand to make a difference in each and every patient encounter.
Our crews were recognized for several cardiac saves in 2014
Northwest EMS partnered with the Pennsylvania Emergency Health Services Council (PEHSC) to produce an educational video on concussion awareness
What our patients are saying:
"They were all very kind with me and I really appreciated that because I was scared. Thank them all
for me."
“The crew is always so good to my mother. When transporting her, they listen to her concerns and
make her feel important. Thank you to your crew -
they are the best.”
"Your staff members are cordial, professional, and a credit to your service."
"My 1 year old daughter had a seizure and stopped breathing. They provided excellent service by
caring for her and also helping to calm me down. We could not ask for better service. Truly
impressed! And very thankful!”
"This old man is glad to have this good service for our area!!"
" Overall care - OUTSTANDING"
"The two EMTs that were involved did an excellent job and were very professional. They were very
prompt and cordial to me and my wife. The trip to Hershey Medical Center was done with utmost care
and explanations to questions were spot on.”
"My wife and I cannot thank you enough. At our age and living alone, to have someone care, is really
appreciated".
"Keep up the good work.”
Looking Ahead:
2015 will bring the much anticipated new County radio system allowing all emergency service disciplines to communicate, as well as a new EMS station in Manheim Borough. Thank you for your continued support!
