Pa. Ambulance Squad, Fire Department Explore Merger

Nov. 29--Two groups of Gouldsboro emergency responders are exploring a merger if they can work out their differences.

At one point earlier this fall, Gouldsboro Ambulance Squad had not responded to nearly one in four calls in 2014.

The problem started a conversation in Clifton and Lehigh townships about how to improve ambulance service -- including some discussions about using private ambulance service.

Ruth Filer, president of Gouldsboro Ambulance Squad, described inheriting an organizational mess when she took over a struggling operation in late June. Since then, she and a small core group have worked to turn the operation around and dramatically reduced the rate of dropped calls despite a shortage of volunteers.

Still, Lehigh Twp. supervisors have expressed concern about what they saw as the ambulance squad going through a perpetual cycle of decline: small new groups of energetic volunteers taking over, improving the situation for a while and then getting burned out.

Clifton Twp. Supervisor June Ejk hoped a merger with Gouldsboro Volunteer Fire Company would provide a long-term fix.

Carol Rinaldi, president of the fire company, said her organization has had a relatively stable group of leaders.

Absorbing the ambulance squad could take the administrative burden away and help the organization, with whom firefighters share a building, to focus on its core mission, Ms. Rinaldi said.

"I think the leadership of the fire company will help them get back on their feet," she said, adding the ambulance squad's organizational turmoil has driven away some volunteers over the years.

A major barrier, however, is that dissolving the ambulance squad and joining the fire company would alienate the current volunteers, as the group would lose its say over who serves in leadership positions out of the gate, Ms. Filer said.

Nonetheless, the ambulance squad's leaders planned to meet with an attorney to go over what would be involved with the arrangement, and both sides would mull the pros and cons, she said.

No matter what they decide, Gouldsboro Ambulance Squad members said they have gotten an unnecessarily bad rap through the entire discussion.

"We are hurting for volunteers, but so is everyone else," Ms. Filer said. "We have certificates from (Geisinger Community Medical Center) for saving people's lives because we got them to the hospital (quickly). ... Everyone sometimes misses calls. That's why we have backups. It doesn't matter what color the ambulance that responds to the call is. But if you can save the person, that's all that counts."

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kwind@timesshamrock.com,

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