What mattered most to Chief Chris Dell was the 22 successful CPR resuscitations achieved by the McCandless-Franklin Park Ambulance Authority crew in 2025.
Dell provided a year-in-review presentation of the MFPAA on March 16 at its main station on Grubbs Road and highlighted that meaningful statistic.
“That’s a big number. I think there is nothing more important that we do than that,” Dell said.
The meeting provided an update on the nonprofit’s progress last year.
The MFPAA answered nearly 9,200 calls in 2025, reflecting an average of approximately 25 dispatches per day, Dell said.
The crew was dispatched to 100% of fire department calls and attended 56 community events and EMS standbys. More than 500 hours were dedicated to community service.
The staff includes 20 paramedics, 23 emergency medical technicians, three coach operators and administrative coordinator Michele Gnoth.
Six advanced life-support ambulances, four squads and three wheelchair vans operate out of its three stations, including its main station on Grubbs Road in McCandless. The other stations are located on EMS Lane in Franklin Park and North Chapel Drive in Pine.
In an effort to save money, the MFPAA remounts an ambulance every year. This involves removing the patient compartment, which is the box on the back of the ambulance, from a chassis with high mileage and installing it on a brand-new chassis, providing for significant savings as opposed to purchasing a brand-new ambulance every year, Dell said.
Education plays a big role for the crew, with nearly 3,000 hours dedicated to staff training last year. Additionally, the MFPAA provides access to training at its facilities for post-secondary education students.
The MFPAA also assists in the EMS career academy for high school students at the A.W. Beattie Career Center. Providing “a fully immersive EMS experience,” training classes are held at an MFPAA station, Dell said.
“It amazes me that our paramedics and EMTs really do embrace the opportunity to teach, and I think they recognize the importance of bringing good, young providers into the system,” Dell said.
MFPAA received Gold Level recognition from the American Heart Association for stroke and cardiac care last year. It also is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services.
The authority is now part of a grant-funded program, Community Paramedic-led Transitions Intervention, with UPMC, offering support for patients with dementia and their caregivers.
No staff member missed work last year due to work-related injuries, Dell said.
Dell also unveiled a new MFPAA logo that will better represent all the communities it serves, including Bradford Woods, Franklin Park, McCandless, Marshall and Pine.
“We work in five communities, and all five of those communities provide some level of support for the ambulance authority. So we thought it was very important that we developed a logo that recognizes all of those,” Dell said.
State Reps. Jeremy Shaffer and Arvind Venkat, as well as representatives from the offices of state Sens. Devlin Robinson and Lindsey Williams and U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, presented a U.S. flag that was flown March 3 over the Pennsylvania Capitol in Harrisburg in honor of Dell’s service as an EMS professional.
Dell credits their success to its crew, administration, board of directors and municipality partnerships.
The MFPAA is primarily funded by billing for its services. It also is supported by contributions from the five municipalities it serves and subscriptions and donation drives.
The MFPAA can bill for approximatley 60% of the calls they attend. However, 40% are not billable, citing occasions when the call is canceled after arriving, a patient declines transport or crews answer other emergencies that do not end in patient transport.
In addition to the review, Dell shared a recent call when he and fellow crew members were dispatched to a prehospital delivery of a baby at 7:45 a.m. March 13. He said the crew was very calm, and it was a particularly exciting moment for him.
“Both mom and baby and doing fine. For me, it was the first time in over 20 years to have ‘that call,’ ” said Dell, who has been working in the EMS field for more than 30 years.
Oddly enough, for one of our providers on the scene, March 14 was her birthday. Even more oddly, she assisted with a “baby delivery” last year on her birthday, he said.
“These types of calls are rare, exciting and a bit stressful. Fortunately, our folks are well trained and handle the situations with grace,” Dell said.
“It was definitely a moment,” said Dell of the baby girl’s delivery.
The public is invited to an open house May 18, beginning with a patient and crew recognition ceremony at 12:30 p.m. at the main station, 9925 Grubbs Road.
For details, visit mfpaa.org.
