With limited funds stretched to upgrade ambulances and hire emergency medical technicians, hiring a marketing coordinator wasn’t considered at Cranberry Township EMS — until recently.

Hiring Ashley Farrell, however, has already proved helpful for the agency, according to Matt Nickl, executive director of Cranberry EMS. She helps tell the stories of the work happening in the ambulances and better communicate the agency’s challenges to the community they serve.

“We’re going to have her work closely with the township’s communication team and make sure we have a unified message,” Nickl said.

He stressed that clear and coordinated messaging will be essential as agencies move toward long-term solutions.

“It has to be somewhat of a unified message,” he said. “We have to be on the same page with Cranberry Township, New Sewickley, and Seven Fields.”

It has to be the same, or the message’s meaning could be lost, he said.

While the leaders of EMS agencies across Butler County, including Nickl, have said that there are plenty of steps when it comes to solving a funding crisis that has plagued the nation, state and Butler County, one of those steps is improved communication.

A recent study of Cranberry and Harmony’s EMS agencies listed communication as one of three steps for the agencies to take.

That’s where Farrell comes in. She’s been tasked with delivering educational information about how the agency is funded and clearing up any misconceptions.

“I’m emphasizing the importance of us being a nonprofit and we need community support whether that’s through donations or subscription services,” Farrell said.

Her efforts highlight this need on social media with posts that show the agency’s impact. A February post, for instance, shows how the agency responded to 3,978 calls for service.

“As we step into 2026, our focus remains on being there for you and your loved ones, expanding our community initiatives, and providing valuable training opportunities,” the post said. “Thank you for continuing to trust our crew.”

On Feb. 23, the EMS agency will held its annual Save A Life Saturday event where survivors of a cardiac arrest and first responders who played a critical role in saving their life are reunited.

The study of Cranberry and Harmony EMS agencies, released in October and commissioned by the Southwestern Butler County EMS Alliance, found that while many providers value the Alliance’s transparency, gaps in communication remain that could complicate efforts to stabilize emergency medical services long term.

“We need to continue to shine a light on the challenges that we’re facing,” said Cranberry Township manager Dan Santoro.

The study revealed that although 73% of survey respondents were aware of an ongoing EMS study, more than one in four participants said they had no knowledge of it until the survey arrived in their inbox.

Santoro said a major takeaway from the study is the need for stronger communication and public education about how emergency medical services are funded and why the current system is becoming unsustainable.

“We said, ‘Let’s look at some options here. What are the options that are available to us? Let’s educate ourselves and figure out what might make the most sense,’” Santoro said, noting that the issue has been on the radar of both municipalities and EMS agencies for years.

Moving forward, Santoro said Cranberry Township plans to increase outreach efforts, including community discussions, resident input through potential ad hoc committees and expanded messaging through township communications.

“We need to communicate, and we need to go out and have those conversations,” Santoro said.

Santoro said many residents mistakenly believe EMS services are already fully supported through local taxes, when in reality ambulance agencies rely heavily on insurance reimbursements that don’t cover the full cost of operations.

“I think people really don’t have any clue or understanding of how EMS is funded,” he said. “They just make assumptions about it.

“We need to educate folks and say, ‘Hey, no — your taxes are not going for this thing right now. We’ve got to find a way to fix it.”

Jay Grinnell, president and director of Harmony EMS, echoed similar sentiments, pointing to recent public meetings as proof that education can change minds.

He said initial resistance often softens once residents hear the realities of EMS operations, staffing and costs. Leaders of Harmony EMS recently requested financial support from the municipalities they served, which prompted mixed results.

After walking communities through the numbers and explaining how frequently ambulances are on the road, he’s seen skepticism around budgets turn into support.

“That’s the hard part of it all is getting people to understand,” he said. “But it all comes back to communication.”

As of March, Jackson Township, Harmony, and Zelienople have implemented a half-mill tax to support Harmony EMS, while Lancaster Township is deducting a half-mill’s worth of tax revenue from its general fund to support the agency. Forward also splits support with three services.

Harmony EMS also serves Connoquenessing and Franklin townships and Evans City boroughs in Butler County, along with Marion and New Sewickley townships in Beaver County.

The study conducted, shows communicating with residents could create a more transparent, collective view of EMS operations. It could be done by sharing system-wide performance measures such as finances, call volumes, response times and service levels.

Nickl, of Cranberry EMS, said getting residents involved directly in the process could also pay dividends.

“I think it will be important to have some sort of venue for community input,” he said. “I think we provide a really good service to the community, but I think it’s also important to hear from the community where we can improve, especially if there’s going to be a cost associated with the service.

“So I think community feedback will be key as well in this whole process.”