Emergency medical services could soon look different in the southeast portion of Warren County.

The topic was discussed during Wednesday’s Council of Governments meeting held at the former Scandia School.

Clarendon Borough as well as Mead, Pleasant, Cherry Grove and Sheffield townships banded together earlier this year to form a multi-municipal EMS commission.

The municipalities will be considering approval of an intergovernmental cooperation agreement that would create the organization aimed at “ensuring the long-term sustainability of fire and emergency medical services for each of the respective municipalities and their residents,” a notice announcing the organization’s creation explained.

Paul Pascuzzi, Clarendon Borough council president, told the COG that the group has been meeting for the past five months.

They’ve been hearing pitches from potential providers.

“(We) had the City of Warren come with a request for information,” he said. “(We) wanted to know if they were providing EMS in our neck of the woods.”

That was at the April meeting and EmergyCare will be presenting to the municipal officials later this month.

“(We will be) looking at what direction we’re going to go,” Pascuzzi said.

COG FORMALIZATION PROCESS CONTINUES

Four municipalities — Youngsville Borough, Clarendon Borough, Mead Township and Pleasant Township — have enacted ordinances to create the COG as a formalized entity.

That paves the way for the rest of the county’s municipalities to join via resolution, a step that Elk, Sheffield and Glade townships have taken.

County Planner Dan Glotz said Warren’s COG is the only one in the state not formally organized as an entity.

“The state has not called us to the carpet,” he said. “It might some day.”

He outlined a key benefit of the formalization – the COG itself can apply for grant funding on behalf of the municipalities rather than one municipality having to agree to sponsor an application.

Attendance has been down in recent months and Glotz noted that he was “concerned about this group.” However, Wednesday’s attendance was “decent,” he said.