First Aid Squad

Born out of necessity, the Wayne Township Memorial First Aid Squad has grown over the past seven decades to become an efficient, well-operated organization that responds to over four thousand five hundred calls each year. Back in 1942, Wayne Township suffered the loss of eight lives during the bitterly cold week of February 8-14. At that time, there was no local first aid squad, and ambulance services were provided by neighboring units in Pompton Lakes, Little Falls, and Cedar Grove, as well as by Paterson hospitals. Seeing the need to have a squad within the township, a group of concerned citizens took it upon themselves to establish a local ambulance corps, which became a reality one year later.

 

In 1943, the Wayne Township Memorial First Aid Squad was officially formed, and the first call was responded to on September 1, 1944. The original headquarters building was located on Oak Street on the property of Captain William Taylor, the first president of the squad. During the early years, Wayne also responded to calls in half of Totowa and all of Lincoln Park, until these communities developed squads of their own.

 

The headquarters moved in 1950 to Boonton Road (now Mountainview Blvd) on a site currently occupied by American Legion Post #174 before eventually moving to the Mountain View building on Taylor Drive. As Wayne Township continued to expand, a second building was added on Hamburg Turnpike, giving the township two facilities at opposite ends of town. An addition of bay areas to the Hamburg Turnpike facility took place in 1992, and proved to be of great value, especially after fire destroyed the Maintain View building and all equipment had to be moved and stored.

 

The first ambulance for the Wayne squad was a 1942 recycled Buick hearse, which was obtained from Chicago. In 1954, a 1952 Cadillac became the second ambulance for the corps, and the original Buick was replaced by another Cadillac. The first two rescue vehicles were a Jeep wagon and a Chevrolet truck, which could transport personnel and equipment but could not carry patients from an accident site. This problem was solved with the addition of a Multi-Carry Rescue (MCR) vehicle in the early 1970's, and later by a rescue truck with a custom-designed box on a Ford diesel chassis obtained in 1987.

 

The organization that started out with only a handful of people has now grown to over 80 trained Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). All members receive this type of training, and may also complete courses with the State Police in heavy rescue work. The establishing of the Youth Squad in 1973 allowed youngsters 16-18 years of age to serve in an auxiliary capacity, and many went on to become members of the squad. Now known as the Cadet Corps, active members are still being sought.

 

The Squad has come a long way in the more than sixty five years since the original "hearse" responded to its first call. Modern equipment, consisting of five modular ambulances and a state of the art rescue truck, highly-trained volunteers, and efficient communication systems, provide Wayne with the finest service by the men and women who give much time and effort to serve others.

 

If you would like to volunteer for the Wayne Township Memorial First Aid Squad, please visit our website at www.waynefas.org to sign up online, as well as obtain further information on our organization, the latest news, historical facts and photos, videos of the squad in action as well as pictures of our Ambulances and Rescue Truck.

 

Today, the First Aid Squad operates 5 ambulances, 1 heavy rescue and 3 boats.

 

 

"I shall pass through this world but once,

Any good, therefore, that I can do,

or any kindness that I can show to any human being,

Let me do it now.

Let me not defer or neglect it.

For I shall not pass this way again."

 

Published in Wayne Township History, Supplement To The Independent News, August 1, 1996.