Casino revenue pays for ambulance equipment in Pa.

By Jodi Weigand
The Pittsburgh Tribune Review

TURTLE CREEK, Pa. — Casino revenue will help a nonprofit ambulance service communicate more effectively.

Eastern Area Prehospital Services, Turtle Creek, will use a $42,000 grant from the county's Redevelopment Authority to buy 30 UHF (ultra-high-frequency) radios, the same used by Allegheny County 911 operators, who dispatch Eastern's ambulances.

The authority recently started doling out casino money for development projects.

Radios will be mounted in Eastern's nine ambulances. Another will be installed at the station on 11th Street in Turtle Creek, and 20 portable units will be available for crews to use in the field.

"On VHF (very high frequency) the reception quality isn't the greatest," said Stephen Shurgot, the ambulance service's executive director. "The bandwidth is overused and antiquated."

Eastern Area serves Edgewood, Swissvale, Turtle Creek, Wall, Wilkinsburg and Wilmerding. It gets most of its money from subscriptions, fundraisers and insurance reimbursements.

"So this grant is helping us immensely," Shurgot said.

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