The History & Future of
Greene Emergency Squad
Left to Right:
Wilson Harrison; Harold (Doc) Elliott; Ivan Scheuerman; Eugene Fosgate; Ray Mayo; Frank Lawton;
Joe Gross; Ernest Badger; Jim Hunter; Willard Knickerbocker; Elmer Eddy
Front Row:
J. Gross; H. Rhodes; H. Hart; H. Frazier; G Deyo-Inet; R. Mayo
Back Row:
S. Miller; R. Stiles; R. Harder; R Laraway; H. Craik; F. McLean
Nestled in the quaint town of Greene in the Chenango Valley in Upstate New York, the Greene Fire Department Emergency Squad officially formed with twelve charter members on December 2nd, 1947. These founding members, together with two interested Firemen, signed their names to individual notes to finance the first ambulance. It was a second hand beauty and served faithfully until 1954. Starting in 1963, the squad was able to maintain two ambulances to assist with the increase in calls they were receiving. For perspective, in 1947, the squad answered 23 emergency calls for the year. By 1987, that number was up to almost 500. Since the founding of the squad, until 1988, more than 10,494 calls were answered.
Squad members attended seminars, lectures and other courses, including First Aid, CPR, EMT, I.V./E.O.A Technician, and eventually when it became available, Paramedic classes. In 1981, the squad placed it’s first Advanced Life Support Ambulance in service, allowing us to provide critical, life saving pre-hospital treatments to our community. Originally part of the Greene Fire Department, the Emergency Squad had to find a new location to accommodate its growing crew of volunteer and paid members as well as the multiple vehicles necessary to meet the demands of the community. Nearly 30 years later, the new Greene Emergency Squad station was constructed in 2010, and call volume has been increasing ever since. Last year we ran over 1500 emergency calls, and this year we are on track to be close to 2000. With this ever expanding volume of emergencies, education has been and remains an important element of the Emergency Squad and has allowed members to keep pace with the rapidly changing field of Emergency Medicine.
Through the years, equipment, techniques and training has changed, but education has always remained paramount for Greene Emergency Squad. All of our providers attend continuing educational courses to maintain and improve their skills and knowledge. Additionally, our equipment has continued to improve. From basic bandage kits to hemostatic gauze, combat tourniquets and chest seals, AEDs to advanced cardiac monitors, Greene Emergency Squad is dedicated to making sure the patients we serve have the best trained, best equipped professionals responding to any emergency.
Currently we have four ambulances ranging from a smaller van, all the way up to a “Type-3” Freightliner. We use this vehicle to provide Advanced Life Support Mutual Aid to EMT staffed ambulances with other agencies that are transporting a patient that requires advanced medical care. Through the generous donations we’ve received and through grants, we’ve been able to secure additional critical pieces of equipment including automatic CPR devices that perform high quality CPR and allows the crew member that would have been performing chest compressions to conduct other critical interventions instead. Other additions are new Stryker power stretchers with an autoload feature reducing provider injuries and increasing the safety of patients who ride in our ambulances. A recent equipment upgrade we’re particularly proud of is our Zoll “Z” Vent transport ventilator, which allows us to provide advanced respiratory care to patients on both 911 calls and transfers.