Cranberry EMS unveils bigger, better facility
CRANBERRY TWP — The Cranberry Emergency Medical Service on Friday will begin to dispatch ambulances from its new building next to the township Volunteer Fire Company's Park Station on Route 19.
The $1.6 million, 7,200- square-foot facility includes two floors, four bays with six vehicle spaces, administrative offices, and a day room for first responders and meeting and sleeping quarters.
Construction took about eight months.
The Cranberry EMS hosted a dedication ceremony and open house Wednesday evening for its new facility.
Jeff Kelly, EMS executive director, said the facility will allow the agency to be more visible and to improve its service to the community.
“This building solidifies our relationship with the township,” he said.
“We started six years ago with our new relationship with the township. We have worked hard to become part of the community,” said Don Scelza, Cranberry EMS board president.
Jeff Schueler, Cranberry public safety director, said, “We are very proud of this new facility and hope that it will serve as a model for other townships.
“With various township departments working together, we have developed a building that will play a central role in the community for decades to come.”
Its soon-to-be former home of the EMS agency at 82 Thomson Park Drive has 1,900 square feet with a three-bay garage. It had rented from the Passavant Hospital Foundation for more than two decades.
That building was sold in November to a business by the foundation, according to Kelly. It will become a cardio/cross fitness gym.
Cranberry EMS has 15 full-time and 20 part-time staffers and six volunteers. It has an operating budget of $1.4 million.
The new building was financed by the township and rented to the independent Cranberry EMS for $3,200 a month over a five-year lease.
According to an agreement with the township, the ambulance service must respond to 90 percent of the calls within 90 seconds.
Last year, the EMS answered just more than 3,400 calls, a number that continues to climb as the township's population grows. This year, the service is expected to respond to more than 3,600 calls.
John Naleppa, a Cranberry EMS emergency medical technician, said the new facility is “like the Taj Mahal compared to their old building.”
Bruce Mazzoni, township supervisors chairman, said the old facility was just too small and outdated for the township.
“The facility is an investment to our residents and businesses to assure the CTEMS continue excellent services for the future years as we continue to grow,” he said.
Kelly said, “We are so proud to now be calling this new facility home. Our central location plus state-of-the-art amenities will allow us to more efficiently serve every corner of the township.”
The service began in 1969 as the Cranberry Township Ambulance Corps, a division of the township volunteer fire company, before it became an independent organization. Several years ago the group changed its name and logo to Cranberry EMS.
It recently launched two programs: the Safe Landing Program that offers parents of infants CPR and first aid training as well as home safety inspections and car seat installations; and the Elderly Wellness Checks that includes home visits to make medical evaluations and ensure medication is being taken properly.
