A Trailblazing Pennsylvania Service Turns 50

In 1972 members of the White House staff and President Richard Nixon’s reelection campaign orchestrated the Watergate break-ins. The Godfather was No. 1 at the movies, and Don McLean’s “American Pie” topped the music charts.

It was also the year the Valley Ambulance Authority (VAA) was established in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, northwest of Pittsburgh on the west side of the Ohio River. The VAA was created by 4 municipalities in this region that still work together today.

“The VAA is the first-ever joint municipal venture for EMS that we know of, at least in Pennsylvania if not the whole country,” says VAA Chief JR Henry. “Our 4 founding members worked together starting in 1971 to form a multijurisdictional ambulance service, which was unheard of back then.”

To add to this accomplishment, 11 communities on the other side of the Ohio formed the Quaker Valley Ambulance Authority (QVAA) in 1974 and moved in with the VAA. “What happened is that QVAA purchased 2 ambulances and all the equipment that went with them, but rather than spending money on a facility, they leased the facility and staff from us,” Henry explains. “Today this is why 5 of our 7 mobile intensive care units belong to VAA and 2 to QVAA, while we have 3 wheelchair vans, and they have 1.”

Funereal Beginnings

Prior to the VAA being formed, ambulance service in Moon Township was provided by the area’s funeral home directors.

As unusual as this may sound to modern ears, this practice was common in Western Pennsylvania at the time. But apparently being in a lifesaving sideline was not to the funeral home directors’ liking.

“In 1971 they informed Sewickley Valley Hospital that they intended to get out of the ambulance business and not transport patients to their facility,” Henry says. “It was this challenge that persuaded local governments in Moon, Coraopolis Borough, Crescent Township, and Neville Township to band together to serve 40,000 residents between them by creating the VAA.”

Today the VAA has 30 full-time and 23 part-time paid EMTs and paramedics on staff, but it didn’t start that way. Instead, back when volunteers were easier to come by, the service was launched with 25 volunteer EMTs and paramedics, some volunteer dispatchers, and just 2 full-time employees. Scheduling was based on a paper-and-pen signup sheet.

In the same vein, while the VAA operates today out of a modern facility in Moon Township, when it began the service launched using an apartment above the garage that housed its vehicles.

VAA board member Denny Lewis was one of those volunteer EMTs. In fact, he was on the first call the VAA ever responded to on May 15, 1972.

“That first call came in as a heart attack, and it was probably about 6 miles away from the base,” Lewis recalls. “So 4 crew members jumped in one of our ambulances, all pumped up for that first call. We got to the house, and the lady we were supposed to treat walked out carrying a suitcase! It turned out she just needed a ride to the hospital. That was Valley’s first call.”

Big Growth

In its first year of operation, VAA handled about 800 calls. In 2022 this number has grown to about 8000 ambulance responses a year. At the same time, the VAA’s budget has grown from a $60,000 grant from federal highway safety authorities to $4 million annually raised through Medicare/Medicaid billings and resident subscription fees.

“Back when we started, you could pay $10 a year to the VAA and then not be billed if you needed an ambulance,” says Henry. “Our subscription rate now is $60 for a family and $40 for an individual.”

Over the years the VAA has upgraded its equipment, operations, and methodologies to keep up with the times. For instance, “the job has become a lot easier in some instances thanks to modern powered stretchers,” says longtime VAA paramedic Scott Miller. “You don’t have to physically lift patients like you used to back in the day.”

“In the 1970s our communications system was more analog, with a reliance on paper-and-pencil transactions,” VAA Deputy Chief Brian Herskovitz notes. “We now have a digital infrastructure that is interoperable with all the public safety and healthcare agencies in the county.”

The VAA has also stepped up its efforts to help the public assist in its own health care. “Our community training programs cover first aid, CPR, and Stop the Bleed, among others,” says VAA Deputy Chief Denise Fantone. “Whether it be local residents or groups like the Boy Scouts, we are there to offer education whenever they ask.”

A Solid Accomplishment

Half a century on the VAA is stronger than ever, which is no small feat in the often-tumultuous world of EMS management.

“I’ve seen so many ambulance services come and go over the years, it’s a testament to the founding fathers of this ambulance authority that we’re still thriving and flourishing and still getting people who are applying and interested in working here,” Miller says. “We have folks who drive 2 hours just to work here as full-time employees. I think that speaks volumes when they definitely could work closer to home.”

Lewis cites the VAA’s consistent leadership as key to its longevity.

“In the 50 years of Valley Ambulance, there’s only been 3 people in charge,” he says. “In that way we’re sort of like the Pittsburgh Steelers, with only 3 coaches in 50 or so years!”

“It’s certainly been an interesting ride,” says Henry. “It’s kind of hard to pick one highlight, but one that stands out is when we were putting together the VAA’s 50th anniversary celebration and tried to list all the people who have volunteered and worked here in service to our community. After 2500 people we had to stop counting.”

James Careless is a freelance writer and frequent contributor to EMS World.