WellSpan recently began providing staffing and medical oversight of emergency medical technicians (EMTs) to the Gettysburg Fire Department.
The contractual agreement creates resource and financial savings for the fire company while ensuring that the community is served by professional EMTs who receive ongoing education and training.
The service agreement between WellSpan and Gettysburg Fire Department provides two leased EMTs to the company for 24 hours per day, seven days a week. WellSpan is responsible for handling employee-related needs such as training and employee benefits.
A similar service agreement went into effect earlier this fall between WellSpan and the Bonneauville Community Fire Company.
“The agreement ensures that professional EMTs will continue to be available to the Gettysburg Fire Department with the support and management expertise from WellSpan’s Emergency Medical Services,” said Tony DeFelice, administrative director, emergency medicine.
“The community benefits from this partnership by having professional EMT personnel who have access to WellSpan’s ongoing education and training, while fire department administrators will be able to focus their vital time on other key needs and issues.”
The agreement stipulates that a nine-member leadership team, representing more than 100 years of experience of emergency management services, manage the ongoing relationship between WellSpan and the local fire company. In addition, WellSpan emergency medicine physicians will provide medical direction to the team.
“The partnership with WellSpan will allow us to provide important EMT services while allowing us to focus our resources on fire fighting services,” said Allen Baldwin, chief, Gettysburg Fire Department.
“New state mandates that require medical direction for basic life support agencies would add to our company’s expenses. Through this agreement, we are able to maintain the EMT services without incurring a significant financial burden.”