New ambulance service being formed in Ellsworth
ELLSWORTH – The news that Fort Cherry Ambulance Service was pulling out of the Bentleyville area left many people worried it would take longer for paramedics to reach communities during an emergency.
It also motivated two Ellsworth brothers to piece together a new local ambulance service, which is awaiting state certification before it can put vehicles into service, said Greg Cole, one of the siblings.
He and his brother, Jason Cole, approached local municipalities about the idea, and they received positive replies, Jason Cole said.
“They were happy to have ambulances this close to home,” said Jason Cole, adding the company’s offices at 93 S. Pine St. in Ellsworth should be open by Saturday.
The financially troubled Fort Cherry Ambulance Service pulled out of eight Bentleyville-area municipalities March 5, forcing them to sign on with ambulance services in Monongahela, Washington and Brownsville.
The new Ellsworth company will be known as Bearcat Emergency Medical Services, and the Coles already purchased two used vehicles. Another one is on order. Many local companies and fire departments donated equipment and office furniture to help, Jason Cole said.
Its base is housed in the former Ellsworth Fire Department.
“Fire departments have come by and said, ‘Here, take this,'” Jason Cole said about the equipment donations.
There can be long delays in receiving an EMS license from the state Department of Health, which would follow an inspection, Greg Cole said.
He said Fort Cherry averaged about 2,200 calls a year in the area, and there are opportunities for Bearcat to grow.
“You have to go out and knock on some doors,” he said. “We just started this nine weeks ago. So in nine weeks, we have two ambulances.”
Greg Cole is an emergency room technician at Washington Hospital. His brother owns J. Cole’s Inn, a bar, restaurant and pizza shop in California Borough.