Started by veterans who had returned from World War I, the American Legion Ambulance in Smyrna greatly improved medical care from the usual practice of sending the sick and injured to hospitals on a train.
The veterans offered much faster service in their relatively new technology of a customized automobile.
Founded by David C. Harrison Post 14 in 1924, the ambulance service at Station 64 is celebrating its 100th anniversary with a parade and block party Saturday, Sept. 14.
Ambulance service director Brad Gosch said the 32 employees and 58 volunteers know the tradition involved in being a member.
“It’s about the pride, community service, hard work and determination that’s been put in over 100 years,” Gosch said. “A lot of people don’t realize we’re the very first American Legion Ambulance in the world.”
The 18 founding members volunteered their time to transport people to hospitals mainly in Wilmington, Dover and Milford, responding to calls from the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal south to the Sussex County line.
Today, several members are among the veterans continuing that legacy, like Mikel Herbert, a U.S. Marine veteran who’s the emergency medical service supervisor.
“This originally started with veterans who felt the need to serve the community and we’re able to keep that tradition alive,” Herbert said. “You’re helping people who may be in one of the worst situations of their life, but if we can make things better for them, then that’s rewarding.”
The first ambulance headquarters was on South Main Street in downtown Smyrna. In 1961, the service moved to Glenwood Avenue (Route 300) next to the American Legion Post 14 building. Then in 2013, the ambulance service opened a new headquarters at Routes 6 and 300, the crossroads of Smyrna and Clayton.
While most ambulances in Delaware are part of their community fire company, the fire districts of Smyrna and Clayton are served by American Legion Ambulance 64.
“We’re the only ambulance service whose territory goes from the bay to the Maryland state line,” Gosch said. That includes southern New Castle County and northern Kent County.
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The staff combines that history and tradition with efforts to stay up-to-date with training and the latest developments in emergency care.
“To continue to excel, we have to go forward,” Gosch said.
For the community, American Legion Ambulance 64 offers CPR training and emergency medical responder training which is the step before becoming an emergency medical technician.
The service operates two ambulances 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and a third unit Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from noon to midnight in a schedule that’s evolved to meet the times of peak demand.
“We generally have more than 5,000 calls per year,” Gosch said. “One of the biggest challenges is keeping up with needs of the community. The community grows faster than you do.”
That’s where volunteers come in handy.
Volunteers needed for variety of tasks and many gain career information
The ambulance service welcomes people interested in volunteering in a variety of areas, from helping with patient care after being certified, to assisting with administrative work and fundraisers, to restocking and cleaning the ambulances.
“Everybody has something to bring to the plate,” Gosch said. “Our volunteers come from all walks of life and all ages,” with junior memberships starting at age 16.
One of those volunteers is Aimee DeBenedictis who helps with administrative work including community education about what the ambulance service does.
She got involved because her husband and brother-in-law were helping.
“I was drawn to the idea of serving the community and now it’s been seven or eight years. They can’t get rid of me,” DeBenedictis said with a smile.
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Volunteering is also a great way for someone interested in the medical field to learn about the job and gain experience, Gosch said.
“It’s rewarding to see how we help people on two different levels. We’re helping people in emergency situations but we’re also helping our employees and volunteers with their career pathways,” he said. “We’ve had people who started here who went on to become paramedics, physician assistants and even a doctor.”
Funding sources include donations
While the main source of funding for American Legion Ambulance 64 is billing patients, the nonprofit also receives grants from Smyrna, Clayton, counties and the state.
However, donations and fundraising are important to maintaining a high level of service, Gosch said.
The cost of vehicles and equipment can be astounding. For example, the last ambulance cost $323,000.
“The stretcher we use with the self-lifting system bolted into the frame of the ambulance with the locking system required by state, that alone costs $58,000,” Gosch said.
Then there are the everyday costs of medical supplies, fuel and utilities at the ambulance building.
For information on donating to the ambulance, see the website https://ambulance64.com/donate/ or send donations by mail to American Legion Ambulance 64 at 900 Smyrna Clayton Blvd., Smyrna, DE 19977.
About the American Legion Ambulance’s 100th anniversary parade and party
For the American Legion Ambulance 100th anniversary celebration Saturday, Sept. 14 in Smyrna, the parade starts at 10 a.m., near Smyrna Elementary and St. Polycarp Church on South Street and Ransom Lane, goes north on High Street, east on Commerce Street, north on Main Street and ends at George C. Wright Municipal Park.
The block party will follow the parade from about noon to about 4 p.m., at Smyrna Middle School with parking nearby at Smyrna High School, 500 Duck Creek Parkway. The party is free and open to the public, featuring music by the Party Fowl band, mechanical bull riding, food vendors, games for kids and displays, vehicles and information from a variety of first responders.
Reporter Ben Mace is a former reporter and editor at the Smyrna/Clayton Sun-Times, Dover Post and Middletown Transcript with 33 years of journalism experience. He now primarily covers real estate, development and business news in central Delaware for Delaware Online/The News Journal. Reach him at rmace@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Started by World War I veterans, Smyrna ambulance to celebrate 100th anniversary Sept. 14
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