Marthasville Community Ambulance District celebrates milestone with open house
It was a day of celebration for the Marthasville …
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It was a day of celebration for the Marthasville Community Ambulance District (MCAD) on Saturday, Sept. 13. The public was invited to attend an open house celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Larry Brewe, chairman of the MCAD Board of Directors, said the district’s history is unique, giving community leaders a great deal of credit for seeing what services needed to be provided and acting on it. He said the current board has great hopes for providing continued service to the Marthasville area as the community grows.
Concerned citizens met during the summer of 1969, knowing the current plan of operations for ambulance services was no longer going to work. Prior to 1969, funeral homes provided the ambulance. On July 1, 1969, funeral homes were required to meet state and federal laws regarding wages and that was cost prohibitive.
The first step was to acquire an ambulance from Lichtenberg Funeral Home which would be driven by members of the Marthasville Volunteer Fire Department. The city of Marthasville agreed to take care of maintenance, insurance and other expenses.
In 1974, MCAD was formed, a six-member board of directors was selected, and taxes were imposed to provide for the services. The organization evolved, adding vehicles and personnel over the years. Ambulance personnel were volunteers until 1984, when they received payment for each response.
Guest speaker Dr. Tim Long said MCAD was already a huge part of the community when he was asked to serve Marthasville as a doctor in 1981.
“When there was a crisis in the office, it’s Marthasville Ambulance that comes,” he said. “The excellent service reflects the spirit of this community.”
Current Director of Operations Jim Sharp highlighted advancements made in ambulance service in the U.S. The first EMT testing was conducted in 1971; paramedic testing followed in 1978. Personnel began learning advanced cardiac care in 1979.
“Please never be sorry to call us,” said Sharp. “If it is an emergency to you, it’s an emergency to us.”
MCAD continues to add more advanced equipment with its ambulances and equipment on board. Its medics and EMTs are available 24/7 to respond to the community’s needs.
Current board members in addition to Brewe are Alice Kluesner, Greg Cooper, Jeff Backhaus, Gary Bandermann and Gary Swartz.
The Washington High School Naval Junior ROTC opened and closed the program by presenting colors. Demonstrations were provided by MCAD personnel during the event.
