EMS

The first ambulance for the Elmont Fire Department was purchased in the 1940's, a red Cadillac. Initially, this ambulance was housed at the Gotham Avenue station and was then eventually moved to Lehrer Avenue. At that time, five members from each firefighting company were assigned to this rescue vehicle. Most of these members were First Responders. As the squad developed, members were trained as Emergency Medical and Advanced Medical Technicians. These men and women initiated the pre-hospital care given in today's operations.

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  Because of the increasing volume of calls, it became difficult for these members to do both jobs ...firefighting/rescue and medical emergencies. The Board of Fire Commissioners, Chiefs' Office and an AMT Police Officer formerly of Rescue, came up with an Emergency Response Squad in 1988. It was decided that the members of this new division of the Elmont Fire Department would not be required to have firematic/firefighting  training. Their sole purpose is to serve the Fire Department and the community in medical emergencies with trained technicians.

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  The initial roster of the company in 1988 had five members. Each member is required to attain EMT status within two years and is encouraged to attain AMT-CC or Paramedic certification within five years. Medical Technicians are state trained and certified and are required to retrain every three years.  We have regular drills to review or introduce equipment and procedures to the company members and recruits.

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 There are currently 12 members, which include EMTs and probationary crew members in training. We currently average approximately 600 responses per year. Ideally, we respond with three to five members, including a chauffeur, EMT and two crew. Some members of the firefighting companies of the department are medically trained or chauffeurs and regularly re-enforce the crew. Some of our members have continued in the medical field as professional EMTs/Paramedics, hospital aids, medical office assistants,  LPN, RN, and medical students and physicians.

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  Today, our goal is to initiate appropriate pre-hospital care in the field and to stabilize the patient in a timely manner after a medical emergency in order to help insure a better recovery. We have the capability to be in direct radio contact with a physician with every response. We attempt to make the transition from incident to hospital as efficient as possible.

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Our ambulances are equipped with the latest technology. We also have  a "fly car" operation, which sends a technician directly to the scene while the ambulance crew assembles. Our vehicles include a 2007 International P&L ambulance along with a 2002 International P&L ambulance and a Chevrolet Tahoe used as the first responder "fly car".

  We are very proud to be members of the Elmont Fire Department. We take this volunteer position very seriously, and we are committed to providing high quality pre-hospital care to the Elmont community.

  We are always recruiting new members. You must be at least 18 years of age, a U.S. citizen or legal resident and live within the Elmont Fire District or adjoining communities in Nassau County.  If you would like to join us, please stop by our firehouse at 95 Lehrer Avenue  any Sunday 10:30 AM to 12 Noon or call (516) 328-8329. No experience is necessary.