NEWS

Lehigh Township Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 has put in service two recently refurbished vehicles to better serve and protect the township and its surrounding communities.One of the units is a 1988 ambulance purchased from Mahoning Valley Ambulance Association. The other is a 1977 two-and-a-half-ton Jeep military truck acquired through a grant from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' Bureau of Forestry. It will be used as a fire police van to replace one that was destroyed in a fire in 2004.Lewis Exner, who was president of Mahoning Valley Ambulance Association at the time, said, “We saw [the fire article] in the newspaper and, at the time, we were trying to sell [our truck]. We got a new ambulance and heard they needed a vehicle for the fire police.”Exner said used ambulances are usually purchased by contractors to haul equipment. He estimates they might have sold it for $4,000 to $5,000 for it but offered it to Lehigh Township for much less.Richard Hildebrand, Lehigh Township assistant fire chief, said they met with Mahoning Valley Ambulance Association and took them up on the offer. The ambulance was sold to the fire company in late 2004. Then it was repainted, lettered and filled with new and old equipment that was salvaged from the fire. He said they invested just under $10,000.“If we had to replace it with a new vehicle, it would have exceeded $100,000," Hildebrand said, adding the Mahoning Valley Ambulance Association was a blessing and the fire company is very grateful for its generosity.The fire police use the van to carry control devices and barricades when answering traffic- and crowd-control calls.In August 2002, more than 500 firefighters and forestry officials from all across the state combined efforts in battling a blaze that burned more than 150 acres on Blue Mountain in Danielsville. It was considered one of the largest wildland fires in the area in recent history. The forest fire was believed to have been ignited by lightning. The incident happened during a drought emergency.“It took about a month to completely extinguish it," Hildebrand said. “The DCNR's Bureau of Forestry receives government surplus equipment and enters into cooperative agreements with fire departments to store and prepare equipment for emergency response within the state.“We received DCNR grants in the past to purchase hand tools and fire equipment,” he added.The truck acquired from DCNR was manufactured in 1977 by General Products Div. Jeep Corp. and was pressed into service again in the fall of 2005.“We used it on little fires in the township, but no mountain fires,” Hildebrand said.Mountain fires are very rough on the equipment, he added. Also, the National Park Service wants to keep the trails and area close to the Appalachian Trail untrimmed and natural, which causes access issues."We acquired this 1977 vehicle to do the job,” Hildebrand said.When the truck was received, it needed to be sandblasted and painted. It also required body work, metal work, welding, plumbing, lettering and wiring.The fire company is very grateful to the following for their generosity in reducing the costs to refurbish the truck: Tom Kemmerer of Cherryville, Peach Hill Auto Body of Danielsville, M&R Motors of Berlinsville, Szoke Brothers of Palmerton, Amey"s Garage of Cherryville, Bellview Pump of Berlinsville, Richard Hulsizer of Walnutport, CV Electric of Walnutport, Kroboth Upholstery of Walnutport, Roger E. Spadt of Walnutport and Hill Metal of Allentown.

11/20/2003

Wal-Mart presents Safe Neighborhood Heroes Grant to two emergency groups

By GAIL MAHOLICK: Source: Times News
gmaholick[at]tnonline.com
When local emergency workers went to the Lehighton Wal-Mart for help with purchasing new emergency equipment, Wal-Mart responded.
The series of events began with Mahoning Township police officer Audie Mertz asking for financial assistance with the purchase of (tasers) a stun weapon for the Mahoning Township Police Department.
After a little research by Sara Withers, community service chairman, found Wal-Mart offers Safe Neighborhood Heroes Grants, which are earmarked for disbursement by Wal-Mart to local communities through the corporate office.
Since the grant she received was for $1,500, and Mahoning Township police needed $1,000, Withers sought a second organization, the Mahoning Ambulance Association, to be awarded the remaining $500.
Murphy, representing the police department; and Mahoning Ambulance personnel Frank Althouse, crew member; and Matt Feller, EMT captain; recently visited the Lehighton Wal-Mart to pick up the donations.
While Murphy had a definite plan to spend the police department's donation on the stun weapon, Althouse and Feller said their funds would be placed in a fund set up to replace a 1988 box ambulance. The new ambulance will cost over $100,000 and that is not including costs for medical equipment. The squad uses a 1990 van ambulance for most calls.
Safe Neighborhood Heroes grants are awarded through Wal-Mart/SAM'S CLUB Foundation to help fund projects or purchase needed items. The company is donating $5.1 million to law enforcement and safety organizations nationwide.

10/30/2004

Mahoning rejects Lehighton
as primary ALS responder
By DAVID WARGO Source: Times News
dawargo[at]ptd.net
Things will stay the same for now in Mahoning Township as supervisors, in a split 3-2 decision, rejected a resolution that would have named the Lehighton Ambulance as the primary ALS responder for the township during Wednesday evening's meeting.
When the discussion opened, Supervisor David Schappell reiterated his position saying, "I still have the same original concerns with the Comm Center. If they have a choice they are going to call you and not Mahoning since you can do everything."
Lehighton Ambulance representative Mark Walck said, "We [Lehighton and Mahoning] both get dispatched on ALS calls. They only get dispatched on BLS calls."
Walck also explained to supervisors no matter whether they pass the resolution adopting Lehighton ALS as their primary ALS responder, they would still be paged when needed. "It's more a housekeeping detail," he added.]
Township Chairman Bruce Keiper observed that since it didn't matter if the resolution was adopted or not as the ALS unit would continue to respond and also since the resolution could be cancelled without notice if there were problems, he didn't see much of a problem with passing it.
Other supervisors questioned the need for it. Supervisor Charles Eidem asked, "If things will remain the same, I don't see why [we need to do this] now?"
Keiper responded by telling Eidem that he believes it may be to prevent someone from opening a competing service and stepping in to take over calls.
"I would rather have someone local than someone from farther away that we know nothing about," Keiper commented.
Walck acknowledged that the resolution would force a potential competitor to appear before the board of supervisors and require them to petition for the ability to respond to ALS calls.
Supervisor Dawn Blocker said she knows that Lehighton ALS provides a good service as she has had several positive experiences with them, but several residents voiced to her concerns about formalzing a primary ALS responder.
Blocker seemed visibly torn about how to vote on the issue.
Keiper ended up making the motion to pass the resolution commenting that "if things don't work out, we can cancel it." When it came time for a vote, only Supervisor Pat Snyder voted with Keiper to pass it, while Eidem, Schappell and Blocker voted to reject the resolution. Blocker did remind Walck that the issue could be brought before the township supervisors again at a later date.
In a related manner, resident Russ Pearson questioned Walck with regard to why he was charged $25 plus $1 a mile for a recent transport of his wife who was ill in the ambulance. He cited an article about last month's meeting in which a representative of the Lehighton Ambulance was quoted as saying that "if Medicare pays, you accept it."
Walck clarified that for a subscriber, that was true that if Medicare pays the bill, the subscriber is not billed further. He pointed out further that for subscribers, Lehighton Ambulance will accept anything any insurance pays and if you have no insurance, your subscription covers it.
Pearson questioned why he was billed then for his wife to be transported in the wheelchair van. Walck answered Pearson by telling him that subscribers get a reduced rate for use of the van, and Medicare won't usually pay for an ambulance ride due to the expense.
"That's not right. She had IV's and oxygen and tubes in her and a machine on her leg and it was all removed so she could be brought up in that van. She should have been in an ambulance," Pearson retorted.
Walck told him he agreed with Pearson that it may not have been the best way, but the ambulance was only following doctor's orders and it was those orders along with Medicare that probably determined how she was transported.
He also agreed with Pearson that there are problems with healthcare but unfortunately the ambulance has no control over it.