New ambulance substation opens
GASTONVILLE – By coincidence, the local ambulance service had a vehicle at the Union Township building two weeks ago when Washington County 911 dispatched it to a grocery store a few miles away where a customer was having a heart attack.
“They were there in four minutes treating him,” Union Supervisor Larry Spahr said, adding employees at the Giant Eagle store on Route 88 were impressed by response time.
The customer survived and others like him in need of emergency service will soon see faster response times because of a more centrally located Jefferson Hills Area Ambulance substation in the township building to handle calls.
Supervisors invested $300,000 to add two garages to its municipal building in order for the ambulance service to relocate its station from Elrama to the property along Finleyville-Elrama Road.
“Our primary purpose was to reduce the response time of the ambulance service,” Spahr said.
The service will hold an open house at the station at 3904 Finleyville-Elrama Road from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday. The service will conduct blood-pressure screenings and serve light refreshments, Spahr said.