No one action is going to solve the EMS crisis facing Warren County.

Quite the opposite, dozens of small programs will be needed to make sure there an ambulance can respond when emergencies arise.

Viewed in that light, EmergyCare’s plan to recruit several new EMTs by offering an EMT Academy at the Warren Station in North Warren can only be a positive thing. The agency is offering part-time pay and health benefits during training and will guarantee a job when the training is complete.

A similar program wrapped up in Erie County last month. Of the 12 students that started, eight completed the program and will enter the EmergyCare system full-time.

Dave Basnak, EmergyCare’s assistant director, mentioned something else that elected officials at all levels must keep in mind — if this program works, funding is going to be needed at some point.

“Expenses such as this only continues to compel the argument that local, state, and federal officials urgently need to look at additional funding streams beyond just insurance reimbursement,” Basnak said. “The goal of this program is to help with EMS staffing however it is not the ‘catch all’ solution. EMS needs to be appropriately funded so that wages can be increased to levels that attract people to the industry.”

Give EmergyCare credit for taking a step to add EMTs to the pipeline. But local programs, whether backed by the private sector or local governments, will need to help find funding to solve this problem. Given what we’ve seen in Washington, D.C., and Harrisburg, getting the help may be a bigger issue than finding EMTs.