The Washington Fire Company Ambulance service, which too often is taken for granted, was organized in 1936. The association came into being when several members of the Washington Fire Company decided to establish some whileworth project in the community. After discussing the situation with the fire company members. They received permission from St. Joseph's Church to hold a public meeting in St. J
oseph's Hall, to place their plans before the public. At the meeting, the group proposed establishment of a community ambulance service, and the plan met with hearty approval, by those present. An ambulance board was established consisting of six members of the public, and seven representatives of the Washington Fire Company No. 1. The association was named the Washington Fire Company Community Ambulance Association. The original ambulance board consisted of the following people:
Paul Reidler, President
James Neary, Secretary
Harry Natschke, Treasurer
Elwood Bracey
Harry Strunk
Charles Staudenmeier
Albert Donath
Dan Kripplebaur
George O'Neill
Art Proctor
Tony Klein
Harold Burmeister
Dr. William O'Neill
The need for a local ambulance service for Ashland and the surrounding area was born out of the fact that previous to 1936, the only ambulance available to the area was based at Ashland State General Hospital. They had a very large area to cover with the limited personnel on duty to man it. The collieries, for many years, maintained their own spring board wagons, drawn by mules, to transport their accident cases to the hospitals. The 1936 Studebaker Ambulance was purchased with funds raised by donations from townspeople. The bingo committee of the Washington Fire Company No. 1, donated one thousand dollars from the penny bingo that was held there. The first trip for the local ambulance was to transport Michael Corrigan of Byrnsville to Ashland State General Hospital. Many ambulances and four rescue trucks have been involved in the history of the ambulance association since 1936. In the early 1970's, the Ambulance Association was the FIRST in Schuylkill County to purchase a "Jaws of Life." The "Jaws of Life was originally carried in a Cadillac Ambulance. Later, the rescue truck in Ashland was born. The ambulance association purchased a 1972 Ford Bronco truck to carry more Highway Rescue equipment for vehicle accidents. The association serves approximately 10,000 citizens residing in Ashland Borough, Gordon Borough, and Butler Township areas, and works in cooperation with Girardville and Centralia Community Ambulances to cover each other's territory when an ambulance is out of service for any reason. Today, the Washington Fire Company Community Ambulance Building is located next to the Washington Fire Company. The ambulance association houses two ambulances and a rescue truck. The ambulance association was originally housed inside the Washington Fire Company until 1996 when the ambulance board moved them into the new building. Full and part-time EMTs, part time EMR's, and volunteer members of the Washington Fire Company comprise ambulance crews and board members. In service training, upgrading, and purchasing of new applicable equipment is constant. The first trained EMT's to serve Ashland was Steven Adams, James Fetterolf, Frank Rice and Edward Wallace.
