Burns credited for $202,713 ambulance added to Blacklick Valley fleet
‘I don’t remember a grant this big ever coming through’
Rep. Frank Burns June 17, 2025
EBENSBURG, June 17 – An advanced life support-equipped ambulance will benefit residents of Nanty Glo Borough, Vintondale Borough and Blacklick Township due to state Rep. Frank Burns’ delivery of a $202,713 grant.
Nanty Glo office manager Debra Whinnie said the grant adds a badly needed vehicle to the Blacklick Valley Foundation and Ambulance Service fleet, which has a 55-square mile emergency service area.
“It’s an Advanced Life Support unit for us, to use whenever patients need a cardiac monitor or IV therapy during transport,” Whinnie said. “We needed this upgrade. Our other units were racking up the miles, where they were getting a little unreliable or starting to nickel and dime us with repairs. We have one ambulance with 500,000 miles on it.”
Whinnie said the ambulance service also does a lot of long-distance, non-emergency transport – to and from medical facilities in Pittsburgh, Erie, Steubenville, Morgantown, W.Va., Latrobe and Dubois – using model year 2013, 2016 and 2019 ambulances.
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“Frank Burns sent a letter on our behalf, explaining why we needed the upgraded unit, and I believe that’s why we got the grant. I’ve been here for 15 years, and I don’t remember a grant this big ever coming through.” – Debra Whinnie, Nanty Glo Borough office manager.
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Whinnie credited Burns’ involvement with obtaining the $202,713 grant, which she said was nearly three times larger than any other grant she has seen.
“Frank Burns sent a letter on our behalf, explaining why we needed the upgraded unit, and I believe that’s why we got the grant,” Whinnie said. “I’ve been here for 15 years, and I don’t remember a grant this big ever coming through. I think the most we ever got on a grant before was $75,000.”
Burns said delivering the grant is part of his job as state representative, and demonstrates his continued commitment to using his seniority and Harrisburg know-how to meet the needs of all residents of his district.