Archbald Community Ambulance and Rescue Squad proudly protects 6000 people living in an area of 27 square miles. We operate out of one station that protects a primarily residential area.
Our department is a public department whose members are on a volunteer status. The Archbald Community Ambulance and Rescue Squad is one of the oldest volunteer services in the Lackawanna Valley. The organization started in 1957.
Our department (EMS Station 21) averages about 400 runs per year, we currently have 30 active members. Most members are PA DOH EMT's and have the PA DOH Vehicle Rescue Course. Archbald Borough is one of the largest boroughs in Pennsylvania, it is located between Scranton and Carbondale. It's made up of many sections: Archbald, East Side, Eynon, Frogtown, Nebraska, No. 5 Hill, Riverside, Sturges and Winton.
We mainly cover residential, but we also have many industries (Casket Shells, General Dynamics Land Systems, Lockheed Tactical Defense Systems, and also the Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad). Archbald is also home to family entertainment sites such as the Archbald Pothole State Park. We also cover a large portion of the Scranton-Carbondale Highway (U.S. Rte 6) ; and we also have one of the largest sections of the new Lackawanna Valley Industrial Highway (The Casey Highway).
The Archbald Community Ambulance and Rescue Squad has been growing steadily in recent years. Because of the dedication of our members in the areas of both training and emergency response, our ambulances usually exceed the state requirement of having one EMT on the crew.
Training and Certifications currently held by our members include:
In addition to our normal duty, many of our members also serve the community as firefighters in different companies. This allows us to provide better support to fire crews on firegrounds and helps us to perform our own rescue duties as many of the rescue crew members are cross-trained.
With the help of federal grants from FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security, our company has been generously given the funding required to grow in both training and in rescue capacity. We have recently purchased a Rescue ATV and a backwoods rescue trailer. In addition to serving as a quick response vehicle for the events around the community, such as the Annual Steamtown Marathon and the Canoe Race, the quad will assist in rescuing patients from wooded areas and other places that normal emergency apparatus would be unable to access. Our current apparatus can be viewed on the Equipment page.