The start of CRAA

In the 1960s, people who required emergency transport to a hospital relied on the local undertakers to drive them in the back of the hearse. The funeral directors had no medical training to treat the patient; they would simply put the patient in the back and drive them to the hospital.

 In 1971, a group of concerned citizens saw a need for a local ambulance service in the Alum Bank, PA rural area. A group of around 15 people sat down and wrote the Articles of Incorporation and by-laws to start of the Chestnut Ridge Ambulance Association (CRAA). These community members risked losing everything to secure a personal loan to purchase a used 1960s Cadillac ambulance for $2500.00 that was “on its last leg” from the Harrisburg, PA area. There was no building to store the ambulance in so it was kept at a local gas station in Pleasantville owned by Jack Barefoot.

At the start there was no 9-1-1 center to call, CRAA had one 24-hour dispatcher who received emergency calls through the telephone operator, first it was the local motel owned by Huntsman’s then Naomi Stoner took the volunteer position. They would then call around to find available members to transport patients to the hospital. Later, they progressed to CB radios for the dispatcher to alert emergency responders.

In these early stages of the Emergency Medical Services (EMS), there was no advanced training for the volunteers to obtain.  Two of the members, Joe Felix and Ernie Berkey, received CPR training and then trained the other members of the organization. The majority of the emergency calls were for vehicle accidents mostly along the SR56 corridor between Cessna and Windber.

 To raise money for the ambulance service, the members decided to hold a rummage sale. They drove all around the area going door to door collecting unwanted items to sell at an auction. They also held soup sales to raise funds. On March 24, 1973, the association had enough money to purchase a piece of property on Locust St. in Pleasantville Borough for $1000.00. A steel building was erected to park the ambulance inside. This became the home of CRAA.

With the growing need for EMS, a second Cadillac ambulance was purchased and put into service.

In 1987, a larger building was purchased at 4037 Quaker Valley Road, SR56, where the ambulance is still located. The building currently has a two bay garage, office space, and lounge area for our volunteers.

The ambulance service has remained a volunteer based community service ever since.