Luzerne County Countywide EMS Response Plan 

The Luzerne County Countywide EMS Response Plan was approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Health (PA DOH) in cooperation with Emergency Medical Services of Northeastern Pennsylvania (EMS of NEPA) in August of 2016.  All licensed EMS agencies that are under the auspices of Luzerne County 9-1-1 are required to sign off on the agreement to be considered a part of the Plan. 

Read the Luzerne County - Countywide EMS Response Plan

No Crews

A "No-Crew" is issued to any Emergency Medical Service (EMS) agency within Luzerne County, that has reported any of their licensed ALS (Advanced Life Support) or BLS (Basic Life Support) units in service to the 9-1-1 center as available for dispatch to emergency calls, but then one of the following occurs:

• Unit(s) has been toned 2 times, 3 minutes apart for a total of 6 minutes and did not go enroute to the call before the patient eventually has been transported. 
• Unit has been toned at least 1 time, and then has either radioed or telephoned the 9-1-1 Supervisors line that they will not be available for this call or will not have adequate staffing to complete a crew, and to go to the next due agency.

No Crew Reports

As a recommendation to Luzerne County 9-1-1 in response to the Luzerne County Council's 9-1-1 Inquiry Committee which published its findings in April of 2015, the No Crew Report results are posted to the Luzerne County 9-1-1 Communications center website for public view quarterly.  The reports are sent quarterly to EMS of NEPA and also the PA DOH for their records.

View the quarterly No Crew Reports here.

Understanding the Report & Other Information

• As of 2018, the No Crew reports are filtered to remove duplicate calls, resulting in a total of missed calls for the agency.
• According to the EMS Act 37 of 2014, all units must be available 24 / 7 / 365 or be a part of a broader countywide plan.  Units reported as available are expected to respond to all calls at a 95% response rate.
• When participants in the Countywide EMS Response Plan are not available, they are required to call the 9-1-1 Supervisors line and place themselves Unavailable for Dispatch (UAD) until they have adequate staffing levels. This allows the 9-1-1 center to dispatch the next due units without any delay in patient care.
• A status of "No Crew" is given to units if they failed for any 9-1-1 EMS related dispatch, regardless of first due or mutual aid territory.
• A status of "No Crew" is not given to Fire based calls where the EMS agency does not crew. This would include structure fires, motor vehicle accidents and other calls where fire apparatus are summoned along with EMS units.  The EMS Plan is strictly for EMS based calls such as an allergic reaction, an unresponsive person or a cardiac arrest.
• Units that have been placed into a "No Crew" status are not marked back into service until they notify the 9-1-1 supervisor via phone, that they have adequate staffing.