As local officials continue to grapple with how to solve EMS challenges, it’s becoming clear that big problems will require innovative solutions.

But the wheel may not need to be reinvented entirely.

The COG Fire Services recently heard with Tim Knapp, the Pike County director of public safety, on an innovative approach their county has pursued.

“(The) Pike County Commissioners offered $2 million toward a 24/7 solution earlier this year to the 13 municipalities in their county as a match,” Pascuzzi told the Times Observer. “Tim reported that as far as he knew all 13 were planning to take up the offer and place a 2 mil tax for EMS on the property owners for EMS.”

That was projected to bring in $4 million into the EMS system.

“The Pike Commissioners realized that they needed to take a leadership role to pull together the municipalities to fund what is an essential service — EMS,” he added. “This will allow for a transition from volunteer responders to paid Career responders.”

Pascuzzi told the Warren County Intergovernmental Co-Op last week that Pike County is a “a little bit ahead of us.”

That county, he said, had a study completed examining EMS “that stated that they needed to do something and do something fast and do something bold.”

Warren County had joined with Erie and Venango to participate in such a study through the state but there was some miscommunication with the state about what the state was offering — a study or just technical assistance. There’s been discussions about the counties dropping the state and going alone to seek the study.

The proposal in Pike County will require a public referendum but Pascuzzi said it is something Warren County officials are “watching very closely. (It’s) different that any direction we’ve done. Up to now, we have not talked about funding. At some point in time that funding is going to raise its ugly head.”

Rich Barrett said they asked Knapp about whether similar challenges are coming for fire service and detailed that his response was that the same challenges could impact the fire side in five to seven years.

“(We’re) seeing it throughout the state let alone throughout the nation,” Barrett said.