UPMC Passavant in Cranberry is located at 1 St. Francis Way, in Cranberry Township. Butler Eagle File Photo

UPMC is moving an advanced response ambulance known as Squad 98, which carries blood along with its lifesaving equipment, from its station at UPMC Passavant — Cranberry in a transition it says will improve coordination and use of the ambulance.

Butler County emergency service officials said the ambulance was regularly dispatched to emergency calls, and the moves leave them uncertain about the future.

“UPMC Passavant — Cranberry is transitioning its Advanced Response Unit (Squad 98) into the UPMC Center for Emergency Medicine to improve coordination and better utilize this resource across Pittsburgh’s northern communities. This will streamline operations, reduce duplication and ensure the unit is available to serve more communities when and where it is needed most. We are committed to working closely with our EMS partners and continuing to support strong emergency response,” a UPMC spokesman said in an email.

The Center for Emergency Medicine seems to refer to emergency departments in numerous UPMC hospitals in Southwestern Pennsylvania, including UPMC Passavant — Cranberry.

Further information was not available Monday, June 22.

Butler County Emergency Services Director Steve Bicehouse said the county was not informed about the move, but is concerned to hear about it.

“I’m disappointed to hear about that decision knowing the positive impact that unit has had in the community,” Bicehouse said.

Squad 98 was automatically dispatched “daily” to high-acuity emergencies like heart attacks and vehicle accidents with entrapment. It is the only ambulance serving the county that carries blood products, he said.

“They had a significant impact in the community,” Bicehouse said.

Matt Nikl, executive director of Cranberry Emergency Medical Services, said he is aware of the change.

“We’re being told UPMC prehospital care will take over, but I’m not sure what that will look like,” Nikl said.

Cranberry EMS is concerned about the loss of Squad 98’s specialty equipment, such as a mechanical CPR device and a mechanical ventilator, and the blood it carries, he said.

Squad 98 was automatically dispatched “a couple times a week for us” for high priority calls involving heart attacks and crashes with rollovers or entrapment, Nikl said.

Cranberry EMS ambulance crews would also request Squad 98 in other situations including unconscious patients, he added.

“We’re not sure where that’s all going, but we’ll have to wait see what happens,” Nikl said.

Carrying a supply of blood products is one of Squad 98’s main resources, said Keith Singleton, executive director of Quality EMS, which serves Callery, Mars, Seven Fields, Valencia boroughs and Adams and Middlesex townships.

“It’s going to be a massive loss for our area. We have a lot of struggling EMS in Butler County that Squad 98 supports,” Singleton said.

He said UPMC did not inform Quality EMS about the move, but staff members heard about it.

“I hope that they will reconsider. The community should speak up and let them know they want this resource to be maintained and reinstated,” Singleton said.

In a September news release, UPMC said UPMC Passavant was one of the first organizations in the region to be trained and equipped to carry blood on their advanced response unit and administer blood in the field.

The advanced response unit based at UPMC Passavant — Cranberry is staffed with expert paramedics and prehospital nurses to respond to emergencies in Butler, Beaver and Allegheny counties and provides 24/7 coverage to assist local emergency medical services agencies. The ambulance carries two units of blood that can be administered before arrival at a hospital, according to the news release.

The advanced response unit has been in service since 2021, and staffing and equipment for it has progressed, such as with inclusion of a Hamilton ventilator and LUCAS CPR device, according to the news release.

In 2023, the Pennsylvania Department of Health Bureau of EMS changed Pennsylvania Statewide Advanced Life Support Protocols to allow specially trained paramedics to administer blood in the field. Previously only EMS physicians and air ambulance crews were allowed to administer blood, and the only treatment available to paramedics in the field for advanced life support calls was administering intravenous normal saline. Administering type O blood is lifesaving for patients bleeding from traumatic injuries or complex medical conditions, according to the news release.