Tamaqua and Hazleton aren't far apart; in fact, just a dozen miles of Route 309 separate the two. But to an emergency medical technician, they are light years apart.

"In our area, the most common call an EMT gets is for a sick person," said Tamaqua Ambulance EMT Shawn Martin, who also works as an EMT in Hazleton. "In Hazleton, the most common call is for a drug overdose, and the second would be a gunshot wound."One thing that remains the same, no matter where you live, is the need for an ambulance service with a quick response time. And another thing that remains the same is the cost to run an ambulance company.Just to outfit the inside of an ambulance with the needed emergency equipment can cost around $400,000.This year, Tamaqua Ambulance has responded to more calls than it ever has. Typically, Tamaqua Ambulance responds to 1,200 per year. This year, in the period from January through June, workers have responded to 1,013 calls. If the calls continue at the current pace, Tamaqua Ambulance could finish the year with 1,700 calls.So they're asking people to respond when they get that subscription request in the mail.Typically, the response rate is about 30 percent; this year, Tamaqua Ambulance is hoping for a lot more."This year, we're really looking for people to support us," said Randy Schock, Tamaqua Ambulance training officer. "If people support us, we can be there to support them."Tamaqua Ambulance Chief Joel Essington pointed out that Tamaqua's coverage area has expanded in recent years, as ambulance services in Schuylkill Township, Coaldale and Lansford have closed their doors.Tamaqua Ambulance covers Coaldale to Brockton, going east to west, and from Skipper Dippers to Fegley's Oil on Route 309, going north to south. They are located on Route 309 south in Tamaqua and cover the entire borough as well.Capt. Mike Morgans said Tamaqua Ambulance faces a number of challenges daily."We're responding to more calls with the expanded coverage area," Morgans said. "And we're always looking for more trained personnel."Tamaqua Ambulance has two crews, or four people and two ambulances, working during the day, and two (one ambulance) at night. West Penn Township has a crew on from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, and from 8 to 4 p.m. on the weekends, and Tamaqua responds there during their off hours.How does Tamaqua Ambulance pay the bills? Essington said insurance companies reimburse the ambulance company for all or a portion of the transport. The average call costs $1,000 and the insurance companies pay about 30 percent to 40 percent of that."We only collect so much from insurance, and once people see a bill and the cost of transport, they wish they would have subscribed," Essington said. "We're trying to help people out; with a subscription, we can waive the rest of the cost."Tamaqua borough covers the workers' compensation cost for the ambulance volunteers, which includes the officers. The ambulance staff are paid positions, and the ambulance company must also pay vehicle and building insurance, supplies, maintenance and repairs."Our annual fund drive really helps us continue to pay the bills," Essington said. "And if you're a subscriber, that means that your household is covered the people who reside there, or someone who is there visiting and needs an ambulance while they're there."The top nine Tamaqua Ambulance calls are: sick person, fall victim, breathing problems, traffic accidents, chest pain, unconsciousness/fainting, traumatic injury, abdominal pain, and unknown situation.Schock said there are a number of calls that fall under the "unknown situation" category, and can range from medical transports to general nausea. The difference in the types of calls from Tamaqua, compared to Hazleton, can be attributed to our area's population, he said."The types of calls we respond to are related to our elderly population it's the demographics of the area," Schock said. "If we don't continue to find ways to support us, we won't be able to stay."