TROUT RUN, Pa. — Volunteer fire companies in rural parts of Lycoming County will soon be partnering. Trout Run, Hepburn Township, and Ralston Volunteer Fire Companies will be forming the state's first ambulance alliance.
"We made an alliance to have one paid ambulance service from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., with paid EMT firefighters to cover the areas that we all cover. This will definitely relieve a lot of pressure from our call volume," said Daniel Hollingsworth, a Lewis Township Supervisor.
The two-person fire/EMT crew will cover emergencies in Hepburn, Lycoming, Lewis, and McIntyre Townships. This decision was made because of the lack of volunteers.
"A huge part of volunteerism is down. Fire companies are really struggling with volunteers, and you see it all over the nation," added Hollingsworth.
"The apparatuses are not getting out as quickly as they used to because volunteers are not available throughout the day for the most part," said Charles O'Brien, a firefighter at Trout Run Volunteer Fire Company.
Having a dedicated crew in all four townships will allow quicker response times during emergencies.
"We felt as though we were somewhat failing our communities. This is to bolster quicker response as far as EMS and firefighting is concerned," added O'Brien.
Working together is not something new for all three of these fire companies.
"With the three fire companies involved, even calls we run now, whether it is a structure fire or a vehicle accident, all of us work extremely well together. There's no territorial issues. We are there for the service we are trying to do," said Hollingsworth.
All three fire companies and the four townships involved will meet at the Trout Run Volunteer Fire Company on Tuesday, February 15 at 6:30 p.m. to sign this partnership into effect. The public is welcome to attend.
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