ELLWOOD CITY, Pa. — The Ellwood City Fire Department is expanding its emergency medical capabilities to address service gaps left by the 2019 closure of Ellwood City Medical Center.
Through around-the-clock paramedic staffing and the recent installation of Southwestern Pennsylvania’s Safe Haven Baby Box, the department is providing immediate medical interventions and specialized care for infants.
Since certifying its emergency staff to deliver advanced life-saving procedures in 2022, the fire department has worked to ensure rapid medical response across the community.
In October, the department opened Pennsylvania’s sixth Safe Haven Baby Box, establishing a secure and anonymous location for mothers in crisis to surrender newborn infants.
When an infant is placed inside the Safe Haven Baby Box, parents have two minutes to leave before an alarm alerts authorities, allowing mothers to remain anonymous in accordance with Pennsylvania law.
An Ellwood City paramedic on duty immediately provides medical care to the infant before the child is transported to a hospital and turned over to Children and Youth Services.
Ellwood City Fire Chief Rick Myers emphasized the importance of providing alternatives for parents in crisis.
“To be able to take that child and give it a chance to thrive and live the life that it deserves to live, rather than getting a call that they found a child somewhere in the woods or something of that nature, that’s our number one goal,” Myers said.
Lawrence County Sheriff Vincent Martwinski recalled a 2017 case he worked as a county detective involving a newborn who was killed and hidden in a safe. Martwinski reflected on the impact of that incident and the need for surrender options.
“Things happen in people’s lives where you can’t really explain certain things,” Martwinski said. “It sort of hit home because I had children myself and to think that this child was taken so early and really there were no options at that point.”
To maintain continuous emergency response, the fire department employs 16 paramedics, keeping at least one paramedic on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Dirk Baker, an Ellwood City paramedic with 37 years of emergency experience, outlined the medical procedures paramedics perform on scene.
“We can put IVs in them, we can give them medications, we can stabilize the bleeding,” Baker said.
Since the paramedic initiative began, emergency personnel have revived 22 individuals who went into cardiac arrest.
Ellwood City resident Wayne Duncan was revived by firefighters during a cardiac arrest incident prior to the paramedic program’s expansion. Duncan voiced confidence in the fire department’s expanding presence. “Without their quick response, I wouldn’t be sitting here talking to you,” Duncan said. “I see what this fire department is doing for the community. I feel better knowing I can call them and somebody is always here.”
Local leaders continue to evaluate long-term health care infrastructure for the area. A hospital committee meets twice a month to examine potential avenues for reopening Ellwood City Medical Center, with the mayor’s office holding daily communications regarding facility priorities.
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