West Deer police SUVs stay in service through donation to fire and EMS

West Deer emergency services will have new utility vehicles for errands or to haul extra personnel to scenes, thanks to a township donation of used police SUVs.

Township supervisors voted last week to give vehicles no longer used by the police department to West Deer No. 2 and West Deer EMS at no cost.

“It’s a great program,” fire Chief Anthony Creaturo said. “It will give us an extra vehicle and help keep wear and tear off our response units.”

West Deer No. 2 sits in the middle of the township in the Magill Plan off Saxonburg Boulevard. Creaturo said it has about 40 members.

“This will come in handy for taking people to the fire academy out at North Park or when we need to do other tasks,” Creaturo said.

The SUV previously was used by the township’s school resource officer, he said, and is in good shape.

The police emblems will be removed, and the blue lights will be swapped out for red. The SUVs are expected to be transferred within the next week.

Police Chief Robert Loper said the SUV donated to the fire department is a 2016 Ford Explorer with about 113,400 miles.

EMS got a 2017 Ford Explorer with about 100,400 miles. Service records for both vehicles will be given to administrators when the titles are transferred, Loper said.

The donation program is relatively new. Loper said the township in 2021 gave a 2013 SUV to West Deer No. 3 rather than selling it for profit.

Josh Wiegand, chief at West Deer No. 3, said he appreciates the township’s decision to keep the vehicles in service for volunteers.

“It’s beneficial in that it gives you something extra to work with,” he said.

Wiegand said his department used the SUV for more than a year before having to retire it.

Township Manager Daniel Mator said supervisors realize the financial pressure that fire and EMS services struggle with.

“The board felt the benefit to them far outweighed the often minimal return we would get from selling the vehicles outright,” Mator said.