Aug. 20, 2025 -- In the wake of a newly filed lawsuit trying to force Lackawanna County to dispatch ambulances in accordance with municipal resolutions rather than patients’ needs, county Commissioner Bill Gaughan reassured county residents today that the 911 center will continue to dispatch the nearest available advanced life support ambulance.

Covington, Jefferson, Madison, Roaring Brook and Springbrook Twps. filed a lawsuit against the county Aug. 13 in Lackawanna County court. It seeks an injunction that would force the county to dispatch the Covington Independent Volunteer Fire Co.’s sole advanced life support unit to calls in nine North Pocono region townships, regardless of whether another ALS unit is closest to the call.

Those townships have adopted resolutions designating the fire company as the primary ALS provider for those communities. The state code for second-class townships allows them to designate their primary ALS providers. But the resolutions contradict county policy, which calls for dispatching the closest available ALS unit.

The resolutions provide for dispatching other ALS units when the Covington unit is unavailable. But Al Kearney, county director of emergency services and 911 coordinator, said that there are cases when the Covington ALS unit can be much farther from a call than another unit, even if it is “available.” At the 911 center, dispatchers know the location of every available unit through a complex countywide GPS tracking system.

“If you’re experiencing a heart attack or stroke, or if you are injured or have another serious medical emergency, time is everything,” Gaughan said. “We have a moral obligation to get people the help that they need as quickly as possible. This is about saving lives more so than municipal resolutions. Dispatching a unit that is farther away defies common sense.”

County Solicitor Don Frederickson also noted that the county could face serious legal liability if a delay inherent in dispatching a unit other than the nearest one results in a patient’s further injury or death.

Read the complaint here.