By Stephanie Hacke
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
Copyright 2007 Tribune Review Publishing Company
All Rights Reserved
Duquesne, Penn. — After nearly three years of working out of a building deemed uninhabitable, Duquesne Emergency Medical Services officials recently dedicated a temporary facility.
“The important thing to me is that my employees can go into this facility and not have to worry about getting sick from the mold or having water drip onto their laptops,” EMS Executive Director Mark Nemerovsky said.
With the help of local, state and federal officials, Duquesne EMS secured a former Federal Emergency Management Agency trailer to use until it can raise an estimated $1.2 million needed to build a permanent facility.
The FEMA trailer was provided to the borough nearly free of charge. The Emergency Medical Services Institute donated $8,000 to move the trailer to the intersection of Clark and St. Clair streets, and Steimer Plumbing of Duquesne donated its services, valued at $10,000 to $20,000, to connect plumbing to the trailer.
“A lot of people were involved in this process,” Nemerovsky said. “It’s a good feeling. It’s important to have a safe working facility.”
Three years ago, Duquesne’s engineering firm, North Huntingdon-based Glenn Engineering deemed the former Duquesne EMS facility uninhabitable. The building has mold and a leaky roof. It is on a demolition list for the Mon-Fayette Expressway.
Volunteer Vice President Tammy Pratt said the FEMA trailer is a true blessing to the Duquesne EMS.
“It’s phenomenal,” Pratt said. “We cried when it came in. Words can’t describe what it means to us.”
Pratt said mold in the old facility aggravated her asthma, and when it rained, workers huddled in the middle of a room to avoid water.
State Sen. Sean Logan, D-Plum, who spearheaded the project, said this is an example of government bodies coming together for a good cause.
“This is teamwork,” Logan said. “This is all levels of government working together. These are the folks who help us, and they’re in a position most of us would not be in.”