Southern Berkshire Ambulance 2025: By the Numbers
Winning teams understand their numbers and use that knowledge to inform their decision-making. Here is our story of 2025 by the numbers and what we can learn from them.
Total calls: 3,040 in 2025 vs. 2,783 in 2024, up 9.23 percernt.
Our community skews about 20 years older than the state average, with a very slow growth in overall population of around 0.32 percent per year. Therefore, our growth in call volume of 9.23 percent was approximately 28 times that of the growth in population. As our average age continues to rise, we are seeing more demand for our services. At some point, this may require us to consider adding another crew to each shift, which would significantly increase the assessments charged to our partner towns.
Breakdown of calls — Of the 3,040 calls:
- 1,662 were 911 calls where we were primary response, up from 1,630 in 2024.
- 69 were paramedic intercept calls to support local providers, up from 66 in 2024.
- 862 were inter-facility transfers (IFTs), mostly between Fairview and other hospitals.
We prioritize primary and intercept over IFTs, since IFTs are typically time sensitive but non-emergency.
Second thoughts — Of the 3,040 calls:
- 357 refused service at the scene, up from 296 in 2024.
- 90 canceled on route, up from 75 in 2024.
We track this because insurance only pays if we actually transport a patient. Nearly 15 percent of our calls resulted in no revenue to the organization.
Completed transfers — Of the remaining 2,593 calls:
- 1,287 were Basic Level Service (EMTs staff these calls).
- 1,306 were Advanced Level Service (at least one paramedic must be present in the ambulance).
Most town ambulances are staffed with EMTs. Our paramedic capabilities are one of the most important ways this organization adds value throughout Southern Berkshire County.
We have 33 employees:
Every employee except our CFO is either an EMT or a paramedic.
This includes our administrative staff.
Cindi, our office manager, is an EMT.
Kevin, our chief operating officer, is a paramedic.
If we are short-staffed on a shift, our administrative staff can drop what they are doing and make sure we have the professionals on hand to complete incoming calls. This backup allows us to provide the added coverage the community needs.
Uncertainty Rings in the New Year
As 2025 fades into the rearview mirror, the word that best describes how we are feeling about 2026 is “unsettled.”
Here are some of the challenges we anticipate for 2026. We expect:
- A lower reimbursement rate for Medicaid calls based on announced federal cuts to this program for our low-income population.
- Disenrollment from Medicaid as the government tightens eligibility requirements and from private insurance plans as folks drop their insurance because of large rate increases.
- This increase in our uninsured calls will result in a decrease in revenue as there is no one paying for these transports. It is one of the reasons we have proposed a 36 percent increase in town assessments for their next fiscal year, which begins in July 1, 2026.
- The labor shortage will worsen, as more towns seek to add emergency medical services to their fire departments.
- This will inevitably increase operating costs as we spend more to attract and retain EMTs and paramedics.
We understand how frustrating increased town assessments can be for town leaders tasked with managing their own budgets. What happened in Adams, where the non-profit ambulance service recently went out of business, is a red flag we cannot ignore. As costs rise and insurance revenue declines, it is the local taxpayers who are left to foot the bill. In North County, there are other providers who were able to add to their coverage area to make up for the Adams situation. We do not have that luxury in South County, and we cannot risk a revenue shortfall that could drive us out of business.
With all this uncertainty, your donations are more important than ever. What cushion we do have is provided by the incredible generosity of our community. Your donations are essential to help us cover our operating costs and invest in replacement ambulances. You make all the difference in difficult times!
With gratitude,
Jim Santos
50 Year Volunteer & President, SBAS
Video: Tips on Avoiding Skiing and Snowboarding Injuries
We get a lot of emergency calls for injuries on our local slopes. It’s a good time to spend a few minutes watching a video on tips to avoid alpine injuries. It beats spending a few months recovering from an avoidable accident!
SBAS Board Member Adam Carlotto Named Great Barrington Interim Police Chief
Congratulations, Adam Carlotto, on being appointed to the position of Great Barrington’s interim police chief to replace retiring Chief Paul Storti. Carlotto grew up locally and has been serving as an officer in Great Barrington for over a decade. It is great to see one of our own promoted up through the ranks.
Carlotto has served on Southern Berkshire Ambulance’s Board of Directors for several years now, demonstrating a commitment to the safety of this community through both his professional career and his volunteerism. Thank you, Adam, and keep up the great work!
Binge Watching ‘The Listener’: Ambulance with a Twist
We recently stumbled upon an old TV series, “The Listener.” It premiered in 2009 and ran for five seasons. The lead character is a paramedic. And a mind reader. Yes, you read that right. When he is not responding to emergency calls as part of his day job, he is helping a Canadian police force to solve crimes in his spare time. It is pretty easy to help with the whole “I can read your thoughts” thing. Often as not, guilty as charged!
It is especially admirable since the character did not choose a hobby of playing poker in Las Vegas with his unique set of skills. Or any of the other gazillion ways you could use your ESP skills for fun and profit if it were an actual thing.
He eventually leaves his career with the ambulance squad to join the local police force. Yeah, right. Like that would ever happen.
You can binge watch this series on either Amazon Prime or for free on Youtube. Here is the first episode:
Please consider a donation to our ambulance fund by visiting our website.
If you prefer to donate by check:
Southern Berkshire Ambulance, 31 Lewis Ave., Great Barrington, MA 01230
Thanks for reading this! We will be back next month with more news and information to keep you safe and help you live your best life. We are working on some great options and presentations for our partner towns for this cycle’s budget.
About Southern Berkshire Ambulance
SBA provides primary 911 coverage for the towns of Alford, Ashley Falls, Egremont, Great Barrington, Housatonic, Monterey, Mount Washington, and Sheffield. SBA also covers the portion of southern Stockbridge known as the Furnace District.
SBA provides advanced lifesaving paramedic intercept services to the towns of New Marlborough, Otis, Richmond, Sandisfield, and West Stockbridge when available. SBA supports ambulance needs throughout the county through formal mutual aid agreements covering most of the southern half of Berkshire County.
