The history of Jeannette E.M.S., Inc. started back in 1960 when officials of the City of Jeannette informed the Jeannette Auxiliary Police that the private ambulance provider was going out of business at midnight.

  The auxiliary police were asked if they would take over the responsibility of providing ambulance service for the City.

  The members took a vote and decided to take on the responsibility. The members pitched in their own money to make the last payment on the ambulance and sent one of their members to Harrisburg, PA to have the title transferred and return with a new license registration plate and owner card. With the emergency proclamation of Mayor A. B. Elias, the auxiliary police were the ambulance providers for the City of Jeannette by midnight. An ambulance committee was formed to oversee the emergency medical portion of the organization. Dominic W. Ponzetti was the first Chairman and Donald F. Hartman served as Chairman for the longest period of 15 years.

  The ambulance was kept in a garage at a member’s house. The only exception would be when an auxiliary police officer had ambulance duty at night he was permitted to take the ambulance home and park it in front of his house.

  The auxiliary police rented the old Doncaster Building in the 400 block of McGee Avenue in 1962. The Jeannette Auxiliary Police Ambulance Service ran from this location until the fall of 1964. The needs of the community increased and a building was purchased at 208 North Fifth Street to house more ambulances.

  In approximately 1974, a decision was made by the auxiliary police to allow individuals to join the ambulance section without having to be auxiliary police officers. These new members joined under the Ambulance Committee of organization. With the influx of new members to the ambulance committee, it was decided that the emergency medical portion of the auxiliary police would be referred to as Jeannette Ambulance Service of the Auxiliary Police. The Auxiliary Police portion of the name was eventually dropped but the auxiliary police maintained ownership of all the emergency medical assets.                          

  The changes in state law regarding ambulance providers, the increasing amount of training required to be an ambulance attendant and the limitations of funding because of how the organizations were structured; demanded if an ambulance service was to survive changes needed to be made. The members of the auxiliary police voted to completely separate the emergency medical services portion.

  In 1987 the Jeannette E.M.S., Inc. was incorporated. The Board of Directors was made up of the executive officers of the auxiliary police and the chairman of the former ambulance committee. The organizations still ran out of the North Fifth Street building.

  In 1994 building on property donated by Mac and Mary Feree the Jeannette E. M.S., Inc. built their present building at 225 South Sixth Street, Jeannette, PA.