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WEST CHESTER — When it comes to the responsibilities of Chester County government, time and time again citizens note the importance of public safety. Chester County runs the 911 center and its telecommunicators field more than 300,000 calls a year.
The county invested more than $30 million to build the Public Safety Training Campus in South Coatesville, a facility that supports the academic and practical instruction of all first responders. And more than $40 million was spent on a county-wide emergency digital radio system for all first responders, to ensure emergency radio coverage throughout the county.
So, it’s obvious that Chester County would also prioritize public safety when reviewing and approving projects funded by the$100 million County allocation of American Rescue Plan Act funds it received from the federal government. Fire companies, emergency medical services, and law enforcement agencies received ARPA grants to support critical programs and infrastructure that promote community safety and well-being.
“Here in Chester County, we are tremendously fortunate to have many resources and dedicated public servants,” said U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan. “Over the past three years, public servants from all areas – first responders, emergency management, and our criminal justice and court systems – have worked tirelessly when we have needed them the most. Frequently, their departments don’t get the funding they need and many of our first responders work in a volunteer capacity. Funding from the American Rescue Plan Act provides a much-needed boost to their systems and in turn, creates a safer and more supported community. Without a doubt, their work is appreciated and I’m thankful for all of them and for the Commissioners’ allocation of these federal funds within our community.”
Applications to Chester County for ARPA funds were oversubscribed by more than three times, and the team of county residents and staff from county government tasked with reviewing all grant requests followed strict federal guidelines before making final recommendations to the County Commissioners. Two rounds of awards were announced in 2022, and in those two rounds, nearly $7 million was allocated for public safety projects.
“When we were in the throes of the pandemic, it was our first responders who remained part of that ‘essential’ element, answering emergency needs. And in the case of firefighters, many are volunteers,” said Chester County Commissioners’ Chairwoman Marian Moskowitz. “ARPA funds were entrusted to us to restore our communities post-COVID, and the needs of many local fire companies have been great.”
“We also wanted to be sure that our emergency medical services professionals had the support they need, particularly in the southern and western parts of the county that have been impacted by hospital closures,” said Commissioner Josh Maxwell. “These investments, used for the purchase of ambulances, increased EMT staffing, centralizing of regional emergency management, and even the development of a mobile community paramedicine program, are always important, but post-pandemic, even more so.”
Chester County Commissioner Michelle Kichline noted, “Investment in public safety also includes services provided by our county court and county law enforcement systems. ARPA monies are helping us to bring rapid DNA forensic technology in-house for use by County detectives. This support for our District Attorney’s Office will help tremendously with investigations and will ultimately benefit all county residents.”
The all-volunteer East Brandywine Fire Company dedicated its ARPA funding to building a new, state-of-the-art firehouse that will allow them to more effectively serve a community that is growing rapidly. The new station has remote workstations available so that volunteers can telecommute to their day jobs from the firehouse, an improvement that has already shown its benefits.
“Recently, we had a call for a house fire, with the homeowner reporting their kitchen was on fire. Five volunteers were at the station working from the remote workspace and so were on hand to respond within under a minute. We were able to bring the fire under control very quickly and mitigate the family’s emergency,” said John Edwards, President of East Brandywine Fire Company. “The money we received from the county has not only allowed us to rehabilitate an aging building, but it has also enhanced our ability to deliver emergency services more efficiently and effectively.”
“We did this during uncertain times. We did this during COVID,” added Edwards. “The pandemic pushed us into a supply chain issue. Who could have predicted this? And then into an inflationary economy. So, not just our survival, but our ability to improve our service to the public is a testament to our members and a testament to the contractors who helped us. I’ll be honest with you; the ARPA money was a lifesaver for us.”
The closure of Jennersville Hospital in southern Chester County left local residents with few options to attain healthcare and Southern Chester County EMS (SCCEMS) has been working to fill that void. The hospital’s closure during the pandemic left SCCEMS facing an uncertain future as they were based out of the now-closed hospital and needed a new headquarters to be able to continue serving the community. Penn Township came to the rescue, securing a plot of land nearby where they will build a new home for the EMS service.
“Penn Township is dead center in our response area,” said Robert Hotchkiss, CEO of Southern Chester County EMS. “So being able to go north, south, east and west from that location in the most expeditious way will assure better emergency response times, and the kind of service that our community has come to expect and appreciate for the last 40 years.”
“We bring the emergency room to the patient,” added Hotchkiss. “Our people have skills and are able to do procedures and have access to tools and technology and pharmacology that basically amount to bringing the emergency room to the patient, and right now, we’re the only emergency room in this area.”
“Having Southern Chester County EMS operating here gives our residents a lot of comfort and confidence at a time when we’ve had no hospital here,” said Dr. Karen Versuk, Director of Operations for Penn Township. “Many of our residents moved here for their golden years. There are thriving retirement communities that were established here partly because of the hospital service close by. When the doors shut on Jennersville Hospital, the one thing that brought comfort to our residents was the fact that we have one of the best EMS services in the Commonwealth. I can’t tell you how many residents I’ve had come up to me and say, ‘You’re going to keep them here, right?’”
“We just really appreciate the thoughtfulness and consideration that the county put into this ARPA process,” added Dr. Versuk. “We know they were absolutely overwhelmed with applications, and the level of care and understanding they put into this is very gratifying for us.”
Uwchlan Ambulance Corps is investing its ARPA funds in a program designed to save money and improve health outcomes by taking steps to reduce the number of ambulance trips required by members of the local community. Their Mobile Integrated Healthcare-Community Paramedicine Program (MIH-CP) will bring healthcare into the home of patients to increase the support, care, and education they receive.
“The primary goal of this mobile paramedicine program is to not only improve the overall health of the community, but to also reduce 911 calls when that service might not even be needed,” said Kathi Cozzone, Executive Director of Uwchlan Ambulance Corps. “We anticipate – and studies around the country have proven – that a service like this reduces hospital trips, admissions to the hospital, and re-admissions. We learned in the pandemic that home health care can work. We will be able to show this is a sustainable program and the money granted out of ARPA through the county will be a solid investment in increasing access to healthcare for people in our community.”
Avondale Fire Company has used ARPA funding to replace a simple yet critical piece of their firehouse, it’s floor, which presented a hazard to their volunteers. The new non-skid floor will reduce the chances that someone will trip or slip on it when it’s wet, especially during call-outs at night.
“The ARPA grant helped us to purchase the new flooring, and our company volunteers did most of the replacement work themselves, which drove down the total cost of the project,” said Guy Swift, President of the Avondale Fire Department. “We had 396 hours of volunteer work just to get the floor prepped and ready. We had the 16-year-olds out there helping all the way up to 79-year-olds. Everybody joined in and did a really great job. If we had to contract that work out it would have cost around $35,000. So, in the grand scheme of things, we saved the taxpayers almost $27,000.”
“The county’s ARPA money has helped to keep my team safer.”
The Chester County District Attorney’s Office’s DNA testing service will get a boost with County ARPA funds, and County detectives believe the upgrade has the potential to significantly reduce crime countywide.
“Right now, the only laboratory we have for DNA testing is the state police laboratory, and that testing can take up to six, eight months, maybe even longer, depending on how complex the evidence is that they are analyzing,” said David Sassa, Chief Detective at the Chester County DA’s Office. “The cases that the state lab work on are the most serious and important cases, including homicides. ‘Lesser’ crimes, like property crimes, normally wouldn’t include a process for DNA testing, because of the backlog at the state lab. With the new rapid forensic testing equipment, we will be able to undertake DNA testing for these other crimes.”
“Once we have our own rapid DNA forensic technology installed, it will be used by our detectives, but we will also share it with law enforcement agencies throughout the county,” said District Attorney Deb Ryan. “This could yield results in up to 90 minutes, so it can help us solve crimes and it can also potentially exonerate people who may have been falsely accused of a crime.”
“A number of our surrounding counties already use the equipment we will be buying with the ARPA funds,” added DA Ryan. “So, we have been able to learn, for example, that Bucks County has seen a reduction in property crimes by about 40-plus percent, because of in-house DNA testing capability. Whether we are dealing with serious crimes or nuisance crimes, this new equipment gives us the advantage that we need to do our jobs more effectively and keep our community safe.”
The Domestic Violence Center of Chester County, the only domestic violence provider in Chester County to offer services to survivors and their families, is using its ARPA funds to hire a full-time case manager. The new hire will help 80 individuals and families access permanent housing and will work with survivors to connect them with services and resources such as benefits, employment, education, counseling, legal assistance, and financial literacy and stability opportunities.
“Accessing these resources will empower survivors and significantly improve their outcomes in successfully achieving and maintaining permanent housing,” said Dr. Dolly Wideman-Scott, CEO of DVCCC. “The case manager will also provide follow-up services for one year to survivors that have moved into permanent housing. We would not have the capacity to have the full-time case manager position without the support of the County’s ARPA grant.”
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