The Rescue Squad of the Garden City
Park Fire Department was created in 1950 by a dedicated group of individuals
who saw the need for additional ambulance service within the community. The members were trained as American Red Cross
First Aid providers and provided limited service. Transportation was
accomplished with a state of the art Cadillac ambulance.
In 1974, a group of young firefighters
in the department had heard about new training course that was being offered
called ‘Emergency Medical Technician’. Seven members of the department went on
and completed this training. The following year these same seven went on to
complete an ‘Advanced Emergency Medical Training Course’ and one is still an
active member of Rescue.
Advanced Life Support consists of
intravenous fluids (IV), administering medications, delivering defibrillation
(shocking the heart), and intubation (putting a breathing tube into the patients
airway). This has allowed the Rescue Squad to deliver advanced care usually
found in hospital emergency rooms right to the patient’s side.
As the Rescue Squad advanced its
training and evolved within the department, it was soon added as the
department’s fifth company. Standing on
its own, Rescue Company Five has members assigned to only Company Five, and is
also supported by active members of the other 4 firefighting- based
companies. The ‘dual’ service members
are known as members of the Rescue Squad.
Rescue Company Five graduated from the
Cadillac ambulance to the modular truck type ambulances you see today. Numerous
awards have been won by this company as well as by some of its members over the
years for their delivery of patient care. The company strives every day to
deliver the best, most competent care to our residents on a continuous basis. |
