Seven Fields approves paid EMS for 2027
SEVEN FIELDS — Starting Jan. 1, Seven Fields’ emergency medical services will be provided for by Quality EMS.
At borough council’s meeting Monday, Aug. 10, members voted 4-0 in favor of an agreement with the Mars-based nonprofit. Council member Dean Galitsis was absent.
The three-year agreement comes with a fourth-year option. The financial backing from the borough amounts to $35 per household.
“The borough is going to absorb the cost for the fiscal year 2027 and a foreseeable future for as long as we possibly can,” said Tom Smith, borough manager.
He said council will work on preparing next year’s budget with EMS spending in consideration.
Before the vote, Keith Singleton, executive director of Quality EMS, delivered a presentation detailing why EMS across Pennsylvania needs municipal support to continue operating. Singleton noted under Pennsylvania law, not only are the municipalities tasked with appointing an EMS provider, but they are expected to provide financial support as well.
“Up until recently, we've never had to really engage in the second part of that code,” Singleton said.
But things have changed, he said — over the past few years, several EMS providers in the state have ceased to exist, which Singleton attributed to a dip in volunteers and rising costs of operations.
“I don't think there's anybody here who has a bill that's going in the right direction,” he said. “Neither have ours.”
To make matters worse, he said insurance reimbursements often do not cover EMS charges, leading to a budget deficit.
In contrast to the $550 average expenditure for a call, an average reimbursement is $340, he said.
The requirements to work in EMS have also increased, said Singleton. EMS has evolved in the state from a volunteer-led service to a paid career. Singleton said the types of things EMS provides have expanded, which adds to the severity of the training required to work in the field.
“To become a paramedic, it is an uphill battle,” he said.
Presently, Seven Fields is served by Cranberry Township EMS, which is not funded solely by insurance reimbursements, direct payments and donations.
To address the concern about EMS’s future in the borough with a paid service, council had considered several companies before choosing Quality EMS as the best option, Smith said.
Quality EMS, operates four ambulances six days a week and three on Sundays and serves residents of Adams, Middlesex and Forward townships; and Callery, Mars and Valencia.
Singleton said Quality EMS is projecting 5,500 calls for service by the end of year and described the agency as a “medium-size operation.”
Referring to municipal support, Singleton said all the money will go back into the company’s operations. He said financial responsibility is one of the company’s main priorities and that it has worked toward that goal by streamlining its management.
In Seven Fields, since the start of 2023, EMS calls have totaled 406: 139 in 2023, 96 in 2024, 109 in 2025 and 62 this year as of Aug. 7, according to Smith.
