The East Haddam Ambulance Association was founded in 1968 with a just a handful of townspeople. In that year, the ambulance responded to 86 calls.

Last year, we responded to 526 calls. The town has been growing at around 3% a year, and that increase is projected to accelerate, reaching 5-10% annually for the next five years.

The corps originally used an old blue Cadillac to transport patients. Built more for speed than emergency medical transport, it lacked any of the complex equipment required on today's rigs. We now need two up-to-date, four-wheel drive ambulances in order to provide care for our patients.

In years past, residents were asked to donate $5.00 a year to support the ambulance. We are now reimbursed by Medicare, Medicaid and private medical insurances to support our ballooning operating costs. We remain, however, an all-volunteer organization.

With the burgeoning size of our town, we are always in need of volunteers. A number of reimbursement options are available to cover the costs of training. Training courses are ongoing around the area.