Eight personnel, 129 square miles and 700 calls. That's how things are currently at Factoryville Fire Department.
But, the chief and others wonder just how long that can continue. He told PA Homepage reporters that the future of the ambulance service is uncertain.
Faced with both financial hardship and dwindling number of volunteers, Chief Tom Schofield admits the ambulance service may not be revived.
The EMTs respond to calls in eight municipalities in Wyoming, Lackawanna, and Susquehanna counties.
“There’s eight of us in this department right now trying to keep the ambulance afloat, we can’t do it. We need to put some paid staff on, which we do have three days a week right now. But truthfully, we need more coverage,” the chief explained.
As the number of calls increase, so does the cost of keeping the rigs on the road.
Assistant Chief Ned Sherman added: “We would just like to break even so we can keep it on the road to pay the expenses for the equipment, the training, the bus itself, and that’s what we’re trying to do and serve the community without having to ask for monetary help."
Volunteer John Bowe and others realize if they end the valuable service, it will cause a rippling effect on neighboring departments which also are struggling. So, there's no easy solution.
“We’re bleeding money trying to pay the staff to cover the ambulance 24/7 and it’s hurting the entire business and so we can’t keep going forward,” Bower explained.