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.
