RESCUE SQUAD

 With the advent of the 60’s a new awareness of the importance of  advanced emergency care was sweeping the nation.  Babylon Village had an ambulance service run by various organizations for many years, but it was little more than a transportation service to the local hospitals.  It was  determined that a trained Rescue Squad was definitely needed.  The Fire Department with its sophisticated alerting system and abundant manpower was the logical choice to establish and operate the squad.

On December 5, 1960, the first organizational meeting was held and Oliver Davison, Ex-Captain of the Sumpwams Hose Company, was elected the first Squad leader.  The Squad went into service on September 15, 1961, manning a new Superior Rescue Rig built on a Cadillac chassis.  In its first full year of operation, the Squad responded  to 162 calls.  Today, however, the Rescue Squad is by far the busiest unit of the Department responding to nearly 1200 calls annually.

Since its inception, the Squad has operated five different Rescue Rigs.  In 1984, the Squad put into service a modular Horton 500 Rig which was fully equipped with the most advanced life support and extrication equipment.  A state of the art Blue Star Rescue Rig which was put into service in 1990. In 1996 another modular Horton ambulance was acquired to replace the 1990 Blue Star. The Squad is continually updating its equipment and training to keep abreast of the ever changing emergency medical field.  It was one of the first Squads in Suffolk to receive permission to administer Nitrous Oxide to its patients.

The Rescue Squad is manned around the clock by its membership.  Each member of the Squad is assigned to a specific crew which rotates assignments on an established schedule and is trained in advanced first-aid and CPR while many members are Emergency Medical  Technicians and Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians.

In addition to providing Rescue coverage to the Village and Beach Protection Districts, the Squad also has been involved with several other activities.   It supplies standby coverage for all home High School football games and several other events such as the Village Fair, Snapper Derby, Greek Epiphany and Marathons.  Several drills also have been held with the U.S. Coast Guard, Suffolk County Police Force and neighboring Fire Departments.

Over the years the Squad has responded to thousands of calls that have encompassed just about every type of medical emergency.  Fourteen Infants have been brought into this world by the caring members of the squad.

The Rescue Squad is the only unit of the Fire Department that responds to every type of alarm handled by the department.  It has been recognized over the years for the fine service it provides with two generous donations by the Babylon Lions Club of a porta-power, Mast suit, and two mountain bikes used by Field EMT's for public events such as the Village Fair and Snapper Derby.

The Babylon Fire Department Rescue Squad may be the youngest of the front line response units of the department, but it takes great pride in the fine record it has had over the last 40 years and looks forward to providing the best emergency service possible to the community for many years to come.