In August of 1997 the growing need for a full time paid ambulance service, made it necessary for the Windber fire company to form a for profit partnership with the Scalp Level Paint Fire Department, to form a full time paid service known as Northern EMS. Also around this time with severe financial trouble and lack of manpower, the Central City Ambulance Service was dissolved and this area became p
art of Northern EMS. However, on January 1st, 2014, due to high operational and insurance costs, the partnership between Windber Fire Company No. 1 and Scalp Level Paint Fire Department was dissolved. Northern EMS was the placed under the operation of Windber Fire Company No.1 alone. This permitted the ambulance service to regain non-profit status under the Windber Fire Company No.1 501© 3.