By Warren Dillaway
Star Beacon
ROME TOWNSHIP, Ohio 鈥� More than five decades have gone by since Ashtabula County Sheriff Raymond Fasula started an ambulance service that eventually became the South Central Ambulance District.
On January 1, 1975 ,the ambulance district started with a deputy and an emergency medical technician riding together, SCAD Chief Shaun Buehner said.
The early years were challenging, especially in the late 1970s when the ambulance service separated from the sheriff鈥檚 department, Buehner said. He said there were times when employees were asked to run shifts for free to ensure the safety of the community.
Dan Koziol started with SCAD as a 19-year-old, through the sheriff鈥檚 department. He spent 42 years in the organization, including working as the director of SCAD from 2002 until his retirement in 2018.
鈥淭here were a couple of days where we had to give some free time,鈥� Koziol said.
He said the early days were exciting. Koziol said one of the most unique experiences was helping deliver a baby in New Lyme during a blizzard, and needing extra manpower to free the ambulance.
After the woman鈥檚 husband, a farmer, used a tractor to help pull the ambulance from the snow, they transported the mother and baby to Brown Memorial Hospital in Conneaut.
Koziol said he enjoyed all his time at SCAD.
Buehner said the early days were well-managed and eventually, the fiscal responsibility paid off, and SCAD was able to purchase a building and eventually expand it.
Buehner said the operation has included eight townships and three villages, with Cherry Valley most recently joining the district.
鈥淲e have good relationships with all our volunteer fire departments including seven mutual aid agreements,鈥� he said.
While providing ambulance service to 15,000 people is the main function of SCAD, Buehner said a variety of public services are a big part of what the district provides to the community.
SCAD works closely with Grand Valley High School and Rock Creek Elementary School, and conducts a variety of classes open to the public, he said.
The operation runs on four mill levies from the participating communities and works hard to keep costs down.
鈥淲e get what we need, not what we want,鈥� he said.
Buehner said when he started in the early 2000s, an ambulance cost $120,000, then rose to $218,000 in 2019, and now sits at $320,000. He said community support over the years has been phenomenal.
Manpower is a problem for SCAD, as they seek rescue workers.
鈥淚t is hard to find anyone who wants to do this job,鈥� Buehner said.
He encourages anyone who might be interested in a career in ambulance service to check out the possibility. 鈥淚t is not for everyone,鈥� Buehner said of the many difficult situations an EMT sees.
Buehner said the department had 1,817 calls in 2024, after several years of lower demand.
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