Early in 1985, the Basic Life Support (ambulance) services of the greater West Shore approached Holy Spirit Hospital for assistance in forming an Advanced Life Support Service for the area. During those discussions, the West Shore Chamber of Commerce was invited to add expertise in the development of this new organization. By August of 1985, leadership had been hired and the initial fund drive was initiated. The West Shore Chamber became the leader in this “community development” project.

As the call volume grew, the need for additional staff became obvious. In 1987, a second unit was placed in service from the Upper Allen Fire Stations. In addition to serving eastern Cumberland County, the units from West Shore ALS also responded to northern York County and portions of northern Adams County.

1989 was the year that WSALS met the need of the citizens in eastern Perry County. ALS service was initiated in the Duncannon area. By 1991, WSALS realized the need to become more efficient as a provider of prehospital services. The opportunity existed to become a subsidiary of the Sisters of Christian Charity and reduce operational expenses. The corporate change took place without any change in clinical operations. At approximately the same time a group of the local ambulance organizations approached WSALS for assistance. These ambulance organizations saw decreasing revenues and increasing expenses. They needed to change to survive. It took several years to develop the organizational structure, but in 1993 Mechanicsburg Community Ambulance, Upper Allen Township EMS, and Wormleysburg Fire Company EMS merged with and into WSALS. At that time the trade name of West Shore EMS was adopted. As the prehospital environment continued to metamorphosis, WSEMS expanded services to meet the expanding community needs. Wheelchair vans and invalid coaches were added to the fleet to better serve our communities. A BLS Advisory Committee was established to ensure municipal input for the operation. WSEMS continued to grow; but, at the same time, continued to focus on our patients, our communities, and our staff. Throughout the history of ALS services in Cumberland and Perry Counties an excellent working relationship had existed between WSEMS and Carlisle ALS. Realizing the need to collaborate even further, discussion took place late in 1996 concerning the merger of Carlisle ALS with and into WSEMS. On March 1, 1997, the merger took place and the foundation for a regional system was established. An ALS Advisory Committee was developed to once again assure input from the 69 municipalities served by WSEMS. Collaboration with local BLS organizations has increased service and reduced costs. During this same time period an opportunity existed to better serve the citizens in Lower Allen Township and Hampden Township. ALS squads were placed in both townships to better meet the needs. As the merger with Carlisle ALS became a reality, another opportunity to improve service became obvious. West Shore EMS partnered with Carlisle Community Ambulance to provide Mobile Intensive Care Units (MICU) to better serve the citizens in the Carlisle area. Additionally, a collaborative effort has provided improved service to the 13 long-term care facilities in the Carlisle area. By working together to meet the needs of our “customers,” WSEMS and Carlisle Community Ambulance have established a “win-win” situation for our community-based organizations. On August 1, 2000, an additional collaborative relationship was culminated when Chambersburg Area Advanced Life Support Service merged with and into WSEMS. The Chambersburg Division includes ALS stations in Chambersburg, Shippensburg and St. Thomas.

WSEMS looks to the future to become a preferred provider via further collaboration with health systems, government, payers, other agencies, and community-based services.