Carnegie EMS suspends service to borough, others could follow

CARNEGIE, Pa. — Ambulance service in Carnegie has been suspended after the director of Carnegie Emergency Medical Services decided to close the operation’s doors.

Ambulances in Carnegie have sat motionless since Friday, and they might never be used again to serve the community. The borough said that, in the meantime, it will rely on Scott Township and Northwest EMS to take care of emergency calls.

Residents like Jasmine Ropon are upset by the decision and worry about how emergencies will be handled.

“They are what I rely on. That's not OK,” Ropon said of Carnegie EMS, which operated independently from the borough but shared a space with its volunteer fire department. “I don't have any way to get hold of anybody to take me somewhere if my child is messed up or my child gets into something she shouldn't. What then?”

A source told Channel 11 News that the EMS director didn’t pay for workers compensation insurance, leading to the shutdown.

Borough Manager Steve Beuter released the following statement:

“As of Friday, January 27, 2017, the Borough of Carnegie learned that the Carnegie EMS Department was suspending services effective immediately. Carnegie Borough officials notified Allegheny County 911 of the situation to ensure EMS coverage within the Borough.”

Carnegie resident Ashley Lindhurst said she is concerned for her daughter, who requires paramedics to take her to the hospital at least once a month. Lindhurst’s daughter Taylor is 13 months old and was diagnosed with Dravet syndrome, a rare seizure disorder.

"Response time and how quickly we can get the seizure to stop means everything. It will effect her talking, it will effect her walking," Lindhurst said.

11 Investigates found that EMS services are shutting down throughout Allegheny County. There were 120 departments in 1999, only 41 of them are still in operation.

J.R. Henry, director of Valley Ambulance and part of Connect, a collection of municipalities in Allegheny County working to solve problems, such as the one in EMS service, said it’s a trend that will likely continue without taxpayer support.

"Less than 5 percent of the EMS revenues come from municipal or tax dollars," Henry said.

Cox Media Group