Foxwall EMS has added a third ambulance to its roster and members are touting the vehicle as life-saving for both patients and providers.

The $208,000 ambulance is equipped with a battery-operated cot loading system, a feature that will save first responders from heavy lifting.

“Once we get the patient on, we don’t have to lift the stretcher anymore,” Assistant Chief Barb Double said, from the station along Hemlock Hollow Road in Fox Chapel. “Usually, our backs are the first thing to go on EMS providers.”

Founded in 1978, Foxwall EMS is an Advanced Life Support ambulance service that serves Fox Chapel and Aspinwall and provides mutual support to surrounding municipalities.

The service is on track to respond to 1,200 calls this year.

Members already have put 4,000 miles on the new ambulance since it arrived earlier this summer.

Chief Tony Cuda said the new ambulance replaces an out-of-date 13-year-old unit with a dependable one.

The older vehicle will remain at the station for reserves.

“The new technology included in this unit will enable our providers to care for our patients in a safer environment,” Cuda said.

Foxwall EMS recently received the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline EMS Gold Plus Achievement Award for implementing specific measures to treat patients who suffer severe heart attacks.

Program participants apply for the award recognition by demonstrating how their organization has committed to improving quality care for particular patients.

Cuda said Foxwall is honored to be recognized.

“The Mission: Lifeline program puts proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis so patients have the best possible chance of survival,” he said.

Double said the new ambulance is smaller than its predecessors, which is a perfect feature for the local areas.

“Considering the narrow streets in Aspinwall and the long skinny driveways in Fox Chapel, this is amazing,” Double said.

There are about 40 members at Foxwall, and calls have doubled over the past 15 years, Double said.

“When I first started here, we did about 600 calls a year,” Double said. “We are constantly improving and trying to better our service.”

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