NEW WATERFORD — New Waterford officials want to make sure that 911 calls don’t go unanswered so the New Waterford EMS department will begin scheduling weekend shifts to help provide coverage for the surrounding area.

Mayor Shane Patrone said that the weekend coverage starts June 1.

“I have been pounding the desk on this for six years. We are running into times where we just don’t have the EMS personnel,” Patrone said.

The problem is widespread, with other communities struggling to have enough coverage 24 hours a day, seven days a week as well, he noted.

“In this area we have had eight ambulance calls that have went completely unanswered — either we couldn’t get a crew or the crew that was contacted was on another call. There was no one available,” he said.

These calls were not in New Waterford, but the surrounding areas, he added.

When it comes to emergency events, like heart attacks, or other 911-related problems, every second counts, he added, noting that the difficulty in finding an available crew is a major problem.

“East Palestine and Columbiana are currently staffed but they don’t have anybody for weekends,” he said, which is why the New Waterford department is stepping up to help fill the gap.

Currently, New Waterford does not have ambulance staffing. The EMS department works on a strictly volunteer on-call availability.

Local EMS wages range from $18 to $22 per hour, Patrone said.

Beginning June 1, New Waterford will staff a two-person EMS crew Friday evening through Monday morning.

They will be paid a minimum of 2 hours per shift, with a shift lasting six hours. If they receive a transport call they will be paid the full six hours.

“The new staffing will last as long as financially possible,” Patrone said, noting that the money to cover the cost comes from insurance billing.

The village has attempted to pass levies in the past, but each one failed.

In December of 2023, the village eliminated the EMS Chief position in order to put that money toward covering the cost of EMS shifts to alleviate the problem of dropped 911 calls due to lack of manpower.

Patrone said that many times residents assume that when they call 911 someone will be available, but that isn’t always the case, and the reason is funding.

“Everybody in this area and the whole state thinks that if they call 911 an ambulance is going to be here … I am afraid we are going to start losing people that could have been saved,” he said of the lag times in getting a crew when the 911 dispatch center has to make multiple calls to find an available one.

Patrone added that there are also fewer private ambulance companies in the area, so it’s not just a local government problem.

“We need to get it addressed. I have talked to the Mayor of Columbiana and Columbiana City Manager Lance Willard. I have talked to a member of East Palestine Council,” he said.

He has also spoken with local state Representatives and members of Congress about the problem.

“We are trying to fill the void so it will protect not only our residents but Columbiana and East Palestine as a whole,” he said.