In the mid 1970’s a group of concerned volunteer firefighters recognized the need for ambulance service in the surrounding local communities due to the distant proximity to the nearest hospital emergency department.
Many citizens in need of immediate emergency medical care were having to wait upwards of 60 minutes for an ambulance to make its way south from Canton. It became painfully obvious the ill or injured could not afford the wait. The only viable solution was to provide community residents more immediate medical treatment from an ambulance housed locally. This option would enable rescue staff to respond to the needs of the ill or injured more efficiently and enable those in need of treatment a much better chance of survivability.
Through the collaboration of Wendell Ford Sales and the many volunteers who donated countless hours to be medically trained and commit to respond to emergency medical incidents, the Waynesburg Emergency Medical Service was born.
Local residents were solicited to donate whatever they could on what became known as “EMS Sunday”. Individuals voluntarily went house to house seeking donations to financially support this undertaking. Wendell Ford Sales donated the first vehicle, a Ford Econoline Van, that was transformed into a working ambulance which was originally housed inside of the Waynesburg Volunteer Fire Department.
Though crude by today’s standard of sleek and modern ambulance vehicles, the reality of housing a vehicle close to those most in need was an overwhelming success. The generous monetary donations provided the financing to purchase equipment and support the operation of the ambulance and the all volunteer staff provided 24 hour a day coverage in order to respond to any emergency call.
From its inception, the upstart emergency medical service offered advanced life support care, options that were previously only available in the largest metropolitan areas. The quick response time and advanced medical care afforded people a better quality of life and a more likely chance to survive a significant medical or traumatic incident.
After several years of operation, calls for emergency care continued to increase and the changing technology beckoned for more modern equipment to be provided to the community. In the early 1980’s, the Waynesburg Emergency Medical Service went to the voters and asked to be financially supported by taxpayers. Local citizens agreed with this request and passed the first public tax issue supporting local emergency medical services.
With a new source of funding in place, the structure of the service changed to that of a formal Ambulance District which was created and defined by the Ohio Legislature. A new name was chosen for the service and the Waynesburg Emergency Medical Service became known as the Quad Ambulance District.
The name Quad represented the four entities comprising the District; the Villages of Magnolia and Waynesburg and Sandy and Rose Townships. These four government entities unanimously agreed to be members of the Ambulance District, recommending one citizen from each to serve on the Board of Directors overseeing the District’s operation.
A new base of operations for the Quad Ambulance District was built on Minerva Road between Magnolia and Waynesburg where the service continues to operate from today. This location was geographically central to the District boundaries allowing faster response times to outlying areas. The facility also provided for the future growth of the organization. Not long after arriving at the new building, a second ambulance was purchased providing more complete coverage in the event the main ambulance was already in use.
Over the years, community growth and the need for emergency medical service has consistently been on the rise. A staff comprised of all volunteers, with associated work and family obligations, became unable to handle the voluminous amount of calls that occurred at all times of the day and night.
In November of 2006, voters approved a new tax supported levy that allowed the Quad Ambulance District to professionally staff the facility around the clock. Since early in 2007, full-time staff has responded to the needs of the community residents with response times from our headquarters often less than 1 minute.
Expansion of our present facility is currently being planned as our service and operations continue to expand.
To find out about more about the services we provide and the staff we employ, explore the rest of our online website. Thank you for your interest in our organization.