CHESTER COUNTY, PA - The Chester County Fire Chiefs Association, Chester County Emergency Medical Services Council, Inc. and Chester County Fire Police Association in partnership with Chester County Department of Emergency Services started work with Municipal Resources of New Hampshire to provide a comprehensive report and a series of workshops addressing future countywide fire protection and emergency medical services (EMS) concerns as a planning tool for fire chiefs, EMS chiefs, municipal managers and elected officials.

Currently in Chester County, there is little standardization in deployment and operation of fire and EMS service resources and a declining number of personnel to respond. Response to a major catastrophic event, such as an act of terrorism would require a standardized and coordinated effort in order to save lives. Additionally, both fire and EMS agencies struggle to maintain adequate staffing levels as both volunteer pools and revenue streams continue to decline – negatively impacting their ability to respond to both every day and catastrophic emergencies.

The vision for this program is to evaluate how fire and EMS services are currently being provided within Chester County as compared with other geographical areas of similar size and population, and to provide guidance to address the future of fire and EMS delivery in Chester County based on emerging trends and best practices in fire protection and EMS.

Municipal Resources has been conducting independent meetings and facilitating in-depth discussions with a wide array of community members, fire service and EMS leaders, and municipal and elected officials on current practices and future trends and/or needs. At the conclusion of the project, Municipal Resources will provide Chester County Fire Chiefs, EMS Chiefs, municipal managers, and elected officials with a resource document that includes identifiable performance measures and actionable recommendations to address the future delivery of fire and EMS services within Chester County in a more coordinated and cost effective manner.

There are additional stakeholder sessions scheduled for all Fire, EMS, and Municipal entities to attend. These sessions will start on Friday, September 20 and end on Sunday, September 22nd. Participation is vital for this plan to be successful! For any questions or comments during this process, please reach out to Neil D. Vaughn, Chair of the Strategic Plan Group at nvaughn@ccfirechiefs.org.

Please register for sessions below so there is an accurate count for seating!

https://destraining.chesco.org

Friday, September 20, 2019

1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
West Whiteland Township Building
101 Commerce Drive, Exton, PA 19341

7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Kimberton Fire Company
2276 Kimberton Road, Phoenixville, PA 19460

Saturday, September 21, 2019

9:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Avondale Fire Company
23 Firehouse Way, Avondale, PA 19311

2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Berwyn Fire Company
23 Bridge Avenue, Berwyn, PA 19312

Sunday, September 22, 2019

10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Parkesburg Borough Building
315 West 1st Avenue, Parkesburg, PA 19365

4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
East Brandywine Fire Company
2096 Bondsville Road, Downingtown, PA 19335