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"As
we look back over the past year in our local community, a few things stand
out. One of them, of course, was the organization of a volunteer
ambulance corps to serve Douglaston and Little
Neck." - The Ledger, 1958 |
In
the Beginning. . . . . The
idea of a local volunteer ambulance corps was spearheaded by the Little Neck Lions Club
under the leadership of Al Houghton.
This idea soon became a reality and, to the credit of practically all civic, fraternal and religious
organizations and clubs in the area, cooperation was not lacking. The
Little Neck-Douglaston Community Ambulance Corps became a defining accomplishment of
Little Neck and Douglaston in 1958.
| The Lions Club first loaned $500
to purchase equipment, but later turned it into a contribution. The
first ambulance was a second hand 1947 Buick donated by the Bayside
Volunteer Ambulance Corps on January 12th, 1958. |
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To house the ambulance, a garage on Pembroke Avenue was rented. Active
operations began on March 30th, 1958 with 34 attendants qualified in first aid.
Twenty-five hours after service began, the Corps got its first call and took a
heart victim to North Shore Hospital (now North Shore University Hospital).
Initially, calls were accepted only through a doctor or the police, but by the fall of the first year, calls
were accepted from any resident.
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In the first
month of its existence, the ambulance corps started a house-to-house
canvass for funds with a goal of $15,000. Simultaneously, calls for additional volunteers were echoed. |
This canvass for funds and volunteers still continues at the present time..... FINDING
A PERMANENT HOME. . . . . After
only a few years in existence, the Ambulance Corps had quickly outgrown its
rented home on Pembroke Avenue. A search to find a permanent home for the
Little Neck-Douglaston Community Ambulance Corps had begun!
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In 1961, the Ambulance Corps
bought property on Marathon Parkway, in Little Neck to build a permanent headquarters. The property on Marathon Parkway was an ideal location
due to its proximity to the center of the Ambulance Corps' response area. |
| The ground-breaking ceremony for
the future home of the Little Neck-Douglaston Community Ambulance Corps
took place in September of 1961. The ceremony was heavily-attended
by local residents, politicians, clergy, and of course, members of the
Ambulance Corps. Virtually, all in attendance took turns
"breaking ground" for the new home. |
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The dedication for the new
headquarters was held on April 29, 1962. As before, the dedication
ceremony was heavily-attended by local residents, politicians, clergy, and
members of the Ambulance Corps. The excitement about Ambulance Corps
could be felt throughout the community. |
The original building had two
separate garage doors leading into the ambulance garages on the first
floor. On the second floor was a large meeting room/crew lounge. In
1981, the building went under a $50,000 renovation. The front of the
building was extended to accommodate the larger ambulances being built in this
post-Cadillac era. At the same time, a dispatcher's office and a
president's office were both added to the first floor. The second floor
underwent minor changes. The building was rededicated on October 18, 1981. OUR
AMBULANCES. . . . . From
the beginning, the Little Neck-Douglaston Community Ambulance Corps has always
put an endless effort in maintaining ambulances that
will be available for any emergency. From our first ambulance in 1958, to
our most recent ambulance in 2002, all of our ambulances have received the best
treatment.
| Our first ten ambulances were
all car-type ambulances (mostly Cadillacs). Ambulance #11 (1981) was
a van-based ambulance. Ambulance #12, #13, #14,
#15, and #16 have all been Type-III modular
ambulances built on Ford E-350 chassis. |
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TODAY. . . . .
The Little Neck Douglaston Community Ambulance Corps has served our community with 45+ years of service. We own our
building, which serves as our office for our volunteers and garage for our two modern,
state of the art ambulances. Our Emergency Medical
Technicians are fully trained and certified by the State of New York to give basic life support to our
patients from the time we arrive, until the time we transfer them to Hospital.
We are constantly striving to raise funds and
recruit new volunteers to support the organization.
YOUR help is essential to continue the tradition started by
YOUR Community Ambulance Corps in 1958.
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