This summer has brought with it a renewed push by the Escalon Community Ambulance organization to recruit new members. A booth at the recent Park Fete took sign-ups, offered information and had some giveaway items, as the ECA looks to increase its membership rolls.

The drive continues throughout the summer and will wrap up with a special pancake breakfast on Sunday, Sept. 11 at the ambulance station. Membership currently is just below the 800 mark, which ECA Chief Mike Pitassi said is the lowest it has been in years, prompting the decision to make the dedicated drive for membership.

While they want to keep current members, Pitassi said they also want to encourage younger families to become members of the ambulance corps, as membership helps offset costs for emergency medical transport provided by ECA.

Pitassi said changes made in connection with the Affordable Care Act have often made it more costly to provide service and residents can protect themselves from those sometimes exorbitant costs. Membership in ECA provides a lower out of pocket cost for ambulance services and can be done on an individual or family basis.

Membership in ECA is $45 per year for individual members, $55 for a family membership. In an effort to entice younger families and individuals to sign up, each new membership comes with a ticket for prize drawings that will be held during the September pancake breakfast. New members get a ticket when they sign up, returning members who have joined at any time in 2016 will also get a ticket. Prizes include a 65-inch flat screen television, a laptop computer, and an Apple iPad.

The pancake breakfast is planned at the ambulance station, 1480 Ullrey Ave., set for Sunday, Sept. 11, from 8 a.m. until 11 a.m.

“All members can eat breakfast for free by showing us their membership card,” Pitassi said.