12/30/2022
50 years of Service:
We were created as an ambulance service in May of 1972 by the citizens of Brighton & surrounding communities. While ambulances had been in use in the United States since the civil war era, EMS as a profession had only recently been born.
Early ambulances were Cadillac or Pontiac “hearse” style vehicles- many sported the “Red Cross” to indicate their medical mission. This was a point of contention with the American Red Cross - since most ambulance services had nothing to do with the Red Cross organization. As such, many services changed to an “orange” cross…
Recognizing a need for a symbol or insignia that would represent the EMS profession (Much like the “Maltese cross” for the fire service or the “shield”for law enforcement), Leo Schwartz with the Department of Transportation (the original federal home for EMS) created the “Star of Life” in 1973.
Each point in the star represents an individual phase of an EMS response. The staff & serpent - represent the “staff of Esclepious”. Esclepious, was elevated to “God” status by the Greeks. As a man, he was considered a physician of their time. Widely trusted & respected. While many consider the serpent a symbol of evil, to the Greeks, the serpent represented knowledge & wisdom. A fable exists in which the wise, old serpent sought the advice of the widely respected Esclepious and wound himself up Esclepious’ walking stick in order to speak eye-to-eye with the man and seek his advice. The staff & snake have been used as a symbol of medicine for centuries.
PVAS actually pre-dates the symbol of our profession! Our first department patch, which is represented in our 50th anniversary logo, is a simple circular design - blank in the center. The 2nd generation of the original patch depicts the Star of Life in the center!
Today, you will see the Star of Life on our vehicles, affixed to our stations, and located on the patches & badges of our uniforms.
For 50 years, we have been - and will continue to be honored to serve the people living, working, going to school & traveling through our communities. ❤️