Upper Bucks EMS to close after 56 years – Bucks Round-Up – December 15, 2025
Upper Bucks EMS to close after 56 years
Upper Bucks Regional Emergency Medical Service is winding down operations after more than five decades of serving the region, marking a major shift in local emergency response. The financially strained nonprofit has agreed to join St. Luke’s University Health Network and has begun shuttering the organization, according to UBREMS board president Anthony Mills. Under the agreement, roughly $1 million in UBREMS assets — including $100,000 in cash — will be transferred to St. Luke’s, a move approved by Bucks County Orphans Court. The nine-member board will be reduced to four or five members to oversee the yearlong transition. All UBREMS employees have been hired by St. Luke’s and received raises, some described as significant. While St. Luke’s officials tout expanded resources — including 39 ambulances equipped with advanced cardiac monitors, ventilators, and even whole blood supplies for trauma cases — the decision drew criticism from some local leaders. Durham Township Supervisor Chairwoman Kathleen Gentner, who opposed the move, lamented the loss of local control but praised Mills for his work navigating the transition. In other business, Durham Township supervisors approved a $513,353 budget for 2026 with little discussion. The tax rate will remain steady at 8 mills. Supervisors also authorized advertising the township’s 2026 meeting schedule during a brief session.
Bucks County declares Code Blue
Bucks County has issued a Code Blue emergency declaration through midweek in response to dangerous winter weather, including snow, bitter cold, and sub-freezing wind chills. Emergency shelters in Upper, Central, and Lower Bucks will open Saturday evening and remain operational through Wednesday morning. Shelters will open at 8:30 p.m. in Upper and Lower Bucks and at 7:30 p.m. in Central Bucks’ Code Blue declarations are triggered when temperatures are expected to fall below 20 degrees for two or more consecutive days, though wind chill and precipitation are also considered. Information is available through the county’s Housing Link Helpline at 1-800-810-4434.
Holiday travel expected to surge in Bucks and region
AAA Mid-Atlantic projects nearly 1.4 million Philadelphia-area residents — including many from Bucks County — will travel during the year-end holiday period, a 2.3 percent increase over last year. Most will drive, aided by gas prices at their lowest level in more than four years. Air travel is also expected to set records, with airports bracing for their busiest holiday season yet. AAA is urging travelers to plan ahead and exercise patience during one of the year’s busiest travel windows.
Joe LeCompte hosts LeCompte in the Morning on WBCB 1490.
