CRANBERRY TWP — The township EMS and other emergency responders from the area gathered at Firehouse Subs on Tuesday to celebrate grants from the restaurant chain’s foundation that funded new equipment.

The township EMS received 24 new CPR dolls, a simulation mannequin and three automated external defibrillator training devices about a year ago through the grant, EMS deputy director Ted Fessides said.

The CPR dolls are used in training classes offered free to the public. The training mannequin is used for staff training. It is able to recreate a real patient’s breathing, heartbeat and other symptoms an EMT may encounter.

“We wanted to do something that would benefit not just us, but the community as well,” Fessides said.

Before getting the new dolls the department only had eight: four infants-sized and four adult-sized. Now that it has 24, 12 adult and 12 infant, it can train more residents.

Last year the department trained more than 200 people.

The classes are held in the township municipal center from 9 a.m. to noon on the third Saturday of every other month.

Before getting the mannequin, the department did not have the ability to do in-house trainings that it now does and members had to travel to Pittsburgh, Fessides said.

Though it has yet to use the device to train other EMS departments, the Cranberry department is open to sharing the equipment, he said.

Township manager Jerry Andre said he was thrilled to learn about the donation.

“We’re very excited. Cranberry Township is very fortunate and blessed to have an outstanding EMS that has significant community support and this award from Firehouse Subs is indicative of that support,” Andre said.

The Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation gives out grants quarterly to emergency services units. Other recipients included New Sewickley Township police, North Fayette Township fire department, Forest Grove fire department and Economy fire department.

The total award for the five units was $78,200, including the township’s grant of $12,800.

Fessides said he first heard about the grant simply from eating at the Firehouse Subs in Cranberry and talking to the franchisee and area representative Matt Liggett.

The foundation gets 60 percent of its money from donations collected in the restaurants, said foundation programs manager Jackie Gubbins. Restaurant employees ask customers if they want to round up their total and donate the change, they collect donations in canisters by the registers and they sell used five-gallon pickle buckets for $2.

Since its creation in 2005, the foundation has donated more than $9 million to emergency responders across the country, $155,200 of which was in Pennsylvania.

“We have a commitment to public safety as part of our mission. We have an unofficial slogan of ‘serving subs, saving lives,’” Gubbins said.