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Pitcairn residents hope EMS service will be restored

PITCAIRN, Pa. — More than 90 percent of EMS departments in Allegheny County operate without taxpayer dollars, leading to more and more closing their doors.

Pitcairn EMS closed its doors in November after 34 years in operation, but people who live there are still holding out hope that service will be restarted.

“It's your family, you're going to be worrying about it. You need an ambulance and it's a couple blocks away from us. They should be there,” said Marilyn Farally.

When her husband had a medical emergency last year, Pitcairn EMS was just a couple of blocks away. If it would happen again, the nearest EMS station is in Monroeville.

“They have an excellent staff and people are getting quality care, it just might take a little bit longer to get there,” said Scott Bierman, president of Pitcairn EMS.

Pitcairn is about three miles from the closest Monroeville ambulance. That means a call that may have taken five minutes to respond to could now take up to 15 minutes.

Bierman said he’s looking at several options to reopen the department, but problems with securing funding and recruiting paramedics still stand in the way.

“We're at a crossroads where we may just have to shut the whole service down altogether,” he said.

Farally is worried what will happen if Pitcairn EMS shuts down for good.

“There's a lot of people that need it. The elderly, sick people, people that OD. We need an ambulance service around here,” she said.

Bierman said a final decision on the fate of the department will be made at the end of March.