LIGONIER, Pa. — The Ligonier Valley Ambulance Service will be replaced by Mutual Aid Ambulance, which is another service in Westmoreland County.
Excela Health says Ligonier Ambulance became more of a department of the hospital, and less as an emergency-response operation, so this move will allow it to refocus service on its original intent.
For the first time since 1967, the ambulance station in Ligonier won’t bear the name Ligonier Valley Ambulance Service.
TRENDING NOW:
- Woman survives heart transplant, dies hours after giving birth to first child
- Miscommunication leads bungee-jumping teen to fall to her death
- Police: Driver who injured couple, newborn baby in wrong-lane crash was texting
- VIDEO: Woman bragging about six-figure income on Facebook may have led to her death
Excela Health announced Friday that Mutual Aid Ambulance Service will be taking over operations Saturday.
"A lot of the community is retired, and old, and a lot of the people ... from Pittsburgh have second homes here, they rely on that. It's a big thing,” said resident Dave Ruff.
Kelly McCoy has lived in Ligonier her whole life and knows how essential the ambulance service is to this area.
"I have relied on it several times, my family and I," McCoy said.
Mutual aid will continue to man the station on Route 711, but neighbors in town are having mixed reactions to the move.
Excela says annual subscriptions will be honored through April of 2018, but lifetime subscriptions haven't been discussed.
Eleven employees from Ligonier Ambulance will be added to Mutual Aid staff. All the ambulances will stay in place and the Mutual Aid markings will change over time.
For months now, Channel 11 has told you about issues with emergency medical services across our area.
In February, ambulance service in Carnegie was suspended.
The borough needed to rely on Scott Township and Northwest EMS.
Several other local services have faced similar decisions because of funding issues.
Cox Media Group
