Sugarcreek Township

The shutdown of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has begun to impact a local emergency service.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, a branch of DHS, awarded Sugarcreek Township Ambulance Service in Armstrong County a grant of a little over $280,000 to buy a new ambulance, but the shutdown has delayed the funding, said Zach Scherer, president of the ambulance service’s board of directors.

He said the ambulance was ordered shortly after the grant was awarded in mid-2024. The grant is the sole funding source for the new ambulance, which is ready to be picked up at Glick Fire Equipment Company in Evans City.

“Our ambulance was scheduled for delivery yesterday,” Scherer said Tuesday, March 31. “It’s done and it sitting in Evans City waiting for us to pay for it.”

The grant expires in September and must be spent by then, he said.

Glick understands the funding delay and has been cooperative, but won’t release the ambulance until it is paid for, Scherer said.

The ambulance service called and emailed DHS, but got no response. It also contacted members of Congress, but only Sen. John Fetterman responded, Scherer said. Fetterman filed congressional request for DHS to release the grant, but it could take 30 days for DHS to respond, he said.

“This new ambulance is not a luxury. It is essential to maintaining a safe, dependable emergency response for our residents. Every delay increases strain on our aging unit and increases risk to both patients and provider,” Scherer wrote in a March 30 letter to congressional representatives.

Maintaining Sugarcreek’s existing ambulance, a 2006 model with more than 250,000 miles on the odometer, is expensive. Scherer said $2,000 was recently spent on repairs and more money might have to be spent to keep it on the road until the grant money arrives.

If the ambulance breaks down and can’t be fixed or fixed quickly, Karns City Regional Ambulance Service would cover Sugarcreek’s calls, Scherer said. Karns City’s ambulance station is a little more than 9 miles from Sugarcreek’s station, he noted.

“We hope people realize this shutdown affects more than just ICE (the U.S. Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement). It also affects local fire and EMS agencies,” Scherer said.

The ambulance service mostly works in Armstrong County, but serves Butler County by covering calls when needed for the Karns City department, he said.