About Us

together on a solution as early as April of that year.  The Fire Department agreed to supply Volunteers to man the ambulance if council could provide the funds for equipment.   Both did their part. 

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Economy Fire Department initially had 20 members graduate from an Emergency Medical Technician Class at Sewickley Valley Hospital.  Very shortly after that Community College of Beaver County began to sponsor classes.  By June of 1975 Economy Borough had 42 EMT’s, more than any other community in Beaver County.  Economy Borough Council purchased the first fully equipped ambulance at a cost of $17,991.00.

 

In 1977 Economy Ambulance answered 200 calls per year compared to over 2000 now per year.  Economy Ambulance was one of the first ambulances in Western Pennsylvania to receive Voluntary Certification from the Pennsylvania Department of Health in 1979.

 

In the early years Economy Ambulance ran as an auxiliary to the Economy Volunteer Fire Department.  The service grew to the point where they had an ambulance in all three stations of the fire department.   Firemen would respond to one of the stations from their homes when an ambulance was needed.  Many times they could staff two or three units.  Often times so many volunteers would show up that crew members would joke that there was no room for the patient.   As training requirements became more stringent for Firemen, as well as Medical Technicians, trying to stay active in both organizations, as volunteers, became difficult.  Slowly each organization had a block of members, with only a few still trying to stay active in both. 

 

 In 1990 both Economy Volunteer Fire Department and Economy Volunteer Fire Department , Ambulance Auxiliary felt that it would be in the best interest of both organizations that they be operated as two separate entities.  Economy Volunteer Ambulance Service was established as a 501(c) (4) non-profit corporation.  Our office was established in the Economy Borough Municipal Building, while our ambulances were still housed in each of Economy Fire Department’s Stations.  Shortly thereafter, the ambulance service purchased a piece of property.  The old farm house was turned into crew quarters and office space.    Next a garage was built to house all three ambulances.  Today this same location serves as the base for Economy Ambulance Service.

 

Economy Ambulance Service continued to grow.  By now we had Paramedics working alongside our Emergency Medical Technicians.  Economy Ambulance Service was always known as the service that had the newest and most up-to-date equipment which was possible when you had volunteers or at least very minimal labor costs.  Besides now just serving Economy Borough we were being courted by other communities.  First Baden Borough designated Economy Ambulance as their EMS provider.  This was an easy match since many of our members resided in Baden.  A few years later Harmony Township requested we respond to Emergencies in their town.  And most recently New Sewickley Township requested that we provide emergency service to their community as well.

 

 Economy Ambulance has slowly moved from an all volunteer service to a fully paid staff on station 24 hours a day.  No longer do crew members have to come from home to get the ambulance on the road.   Normal staffing is usually one Paramedic and one Emergency Medical Technician in a fully stocked ambulance now costing nearly $200,000.00.