The East Hampton Ambulance Association (EHAA) has a long and proud history in our town. East Hampton was originally part of an eight-town association known as the Intercounty Ambulance Service. In 1953, townspeople felt the town had outgrown a shared service, and on April 24th, First Selectman Milton Nichols named a committee to investigate the specifics of creating an emergency medical service. They created the East Hampton Volunteer Ambulance Association, and Frank Popowitcz was named president.
The new service was run by a small group of volunteers, “First Aiders,” who transported people to Middlesex Memorial Hospital in an old Cadillac! Townspeople became “members” of the association by paying $5 a year and were guaranteed free transportation to the hospital.
On August 24, 1961, Assistant Fire Chief Alfred Royce and Fireman Hubert Flood returned from Lima, Ohio, with the first new ambulance for the association. At this time, the ambulance was manned by volunteers from the East Hampton Volunteer Fire Department. Today, the EHAA has its own certified emergency medical personnel.
Since the days of the old Cadillac, the level of training and service provided by EHAA has been greatly enhanced. By-laws were established, a scheduling system was implemented to ensure 24/7 response, training was increased, and state certifications were required for all volunteer responders.
A Board of Directors was established to govern the operations of the association. Today, three state-of-the-art ambulances answer approximately 1,000 medical calls a year. Two state-certified members are part of each ambulance crew. Each member is provided with a pager and two-way radio, which are used for quick and accurate communication.
In the late 1980s, the EHAA significantly enhanced its services by joining forces with the Middlesex Hospital Paramedic Service. The paramedics provide additional quality and timely advanced medical care to the residents of East Hampton.
In 1997, the ambulance corps moved away from the membership program and became an insurance-supported response team – although everyone is still guaranteed treatment and transportation.
The most recent project was planning, designing, and constructing a new headquarters, which was made possible by bonding from the town and the general support of citizens during our Capital Fund Drive. The three-bay facility, located on Rt. 16 at 4 Middletown Avenue is well equipped to serve as a regional center for emergency personnel in times of disaster, complete with communication capabilities, dorm rooms, a generator, a full kitchen, and other stand-by emergency equipment.
The East Hampton Ambulance Association holds firm to its original motto, “Neighbors Helping Neighbors.”
East Hampton EMS headquarters currently houses three ambulances- one for the duty crew and two for a scramble/backup crew to respond if there is a second or third medical call while the duty crew is on a call. The headquarters also houses one first responder vehicle “fly car” for on-scene patient care, carrying the most needed equipment for a medical emergency.