Home: Squad History

Squad Minutes

· The week of March 16-22, 1964 was a busy one in the history of the Vernon Township Ambulance Squad. Read about the birth of the Squad from minutes and notes recorded from this time period. (It should be noted that minutes from this era were hand-written. Some words were unreadable, however the meanings are often easy to discern.)

· March 15, 1964
First Organizational Meeting

· March 16-22, 1964
Notes of developments during the week

· March 22, 1964
Second Organizational Meeting

· More minutes detailing the historical events of Squad will be added.

Other interesting facts about the history of the Vernon Township Ambulance Squad:

· John Seckler donated land in Highland Lakes to build an ambulance building.

· In the year 1963, seven men founded the Vernon Township Ambulance Squad Inc #1 and formed the charter.

Those men were:
Parker Adelberg
Frank Altamura
Kenneth Cleveland
John Leeds
Howard McGuire
Jack Reeth
Dalton Shimko

· When the VTAS was started, only the Highland Lakes area was served. A few months later, they found they needed to cover the rest of the Township.

· In the old days you sat by the phone to get a call. This was dedication to our community.

· The requirement was First Aid, childbirth, C.P.R., defensive driving, and extraction.

· As time went on, the need for a building in the Valley became evident. Robert Baldwin Sr. donated the land on Rt. 94, behind the Dairy Queen.

· Forty years later, "The Squad" stands strong and proud with fully qualified E.M.T. to serve the community 24 hours a day and 365 days a year.