By Dan Nephin
LNP
LANCASTER, Pa. 鈥擥eorge Kaloustian and Kelly Signor were on hand Wednesday to help celebrate Lancaster EMS鈥� new Lancaster city headquarters.
Both survived heart attacks thanks to the life-saving efforts of first responders from Lancaster County鈥檚 largest emergency medical services provider along with police and firefighters.
鈥淚 think they deserve recognition 鈥� more than they get,鈥� said 39-year-old Signor, of Elizabethtown, who had a heart attack about five weeks ago while working as a manager at the Sheetz at 1790 Millersville Road in Millersville.
Kaloustian, 79, had a heart attack in March 2024 after getting into his car to get groceries. He was living in Millersville with his wife, Diane, at the time.
鈥淲hat they do is great,鈥� said George Kaloustian, who spent more than a month in an intensive care unit and rehabilitation center.
鈥淭hey actually brought somebody who was dead back to life,鈥� his wife said.
The couple now lives in Conestoga Township.
The Kaloustians and Signor joined more than 100 people Wednesday for an open house and ribbon-cutting ceremony at the headquarters at 715 Fairview Ave., which is the site of the former AMVETS Post 19. The event coincided with National EMS Week.
Lancaster EMS Capt. Dawn Ray shared Kaloustian鈥檚 and Signor鈥檚 stories and gave certificates of recognition to the responders involved.
鈥淟et us be clear, this was not a matter of luck alone,鈥� Ray said. 鈥淭his was the result of preparation, of people trained to recognize an emergency and empowered to respond. It is the result of a system that works when every member of the chain of survival holds strong.鈥�
Ray said the scenarios also underscored the importance of CPR training for non-emergency professionals. In Signor鈥檚 case, coworkers Lauren Smith and Sonja Bush had CPR training and began administering it until the responders arrived and took over.
鈥淵ou never know when you might be the first responder,鈥� Ray said.
Lancaster EMS bought the Fairview Avenue building for $1.95 million in August 2022 . The new facility includes administrative offices on the second floor, and space for training on the first floor.
When all renovation work is completed, it will have spent about $6 million on architectural work, engineering, site development, renovations, and construction. Heck Construction of Denver was the project鈥檚 contractor.
Bob May , the agency鈥檚 executive director, said the new headquarters will allow it to increase its operational capacity.
Lancaster EMS serves 21 of the county鈥檚 60 municipalities and provides mutual aid to other agencies. It expects to respond to more than 58,000 calls this year, an average of more than 160 calls per day.
Ambulances are not dispatched from the new headquarters, but from 11 locations throughout Lancaster EMS鈥� coverage area. It will serve as a base for interfacility transports and wheelchair van services.
During Wednesday鈥檚 ceremony, Michelle Del Pizzo, board chair of Lancaster EMS and president of UPMC Memorial hospital in York, presented May with the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services鈥� accreditation for this year. Lancaster EMS is just one of six EMS service providers accredited in Pennsylvania. Among other things, accreditation by the commission assures that agencies are following industry best practices.
AMVETS closed in February 2022 after the veteran-focused social organization struggled with finances. It had been at the location since late 1993.
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