The Kingwood Township First Aid & Rescue Squad is a non-profit all volunteer organization. We serve all of Kingwood Township, parts of Alexandria Township & parts of Delaware Township. We provide Emergency Medical Services, while our Kingwood Fire Company provides fire and vehicle extrication services.
In 1953, members of the Kingwood Township Civil Defense Committee had a meeting to determine the need for a Rescue Squad. At this time any emergencies were covered by squads from Frenchtown, Lambertville & Flemington. A need was determined and then established.
An organizational meeting was held on November 5, 1953 & the squad was officially incorporated on December 22, 1953. Our first ambulance was purchased in March 1953. It was a 1949 Cadillac which cost $3,000.00. The ambulance was housed in a bay attached to the old Kingwood Fire Station on Rt. 12 (Firehouse Lane).
In April 1954, the squad went into service. There were 17 members & they handled 31 calls that year. Education for members was either American Red Cross or Advanced First Aid.
In January 1961, the first two-way radio was installed in the ambulance.
In September 1963, the squad ordered a new 1964 Pontiac ambulance for $9,400.00 to replace the 1949 Cadillac. Squad calls were dispatched by a telephone chain & in November 1963, a loud horn was installed to help alert members when they were not sitting by the phone.
On February 18, 1964, the squad took ownership of our current building on Route 519 in Baptistown, NJ. It was purchased from the Patriotic Order Sons of America Camp #54.
On June 8, 1964, after more than a thousand man hours & 111 days of renovating the building, the squad moved into its new home. 108 calls were handled that year.
1971 saw the purchase of a used 1967 Cadillac ambulance complete with new equipment. This doubled the squad's ability to respond to emergencies.
In January of 1974, home alerts went into use to replace the telephone chain. The dispatching of calls was still done from within the Township. This year there were 20 members & 174 calls were handled.
Early in 1975 the squad purchased a 1971 Rescue truck to provide lighting & carry equipment needed at accident scenes. The squad spent 19 months modifying it for this use.
In 1976 a new 1976 Horton Modular Ambulance was purchased for $26,000.00 & Ten codes for radio use went into effect.
In 1977 Hunterdon County Communications went into operation & became New Jersey’s first Countywide Dispatch System.
In the fall of 1977, an addition to our squad building was started & finished in early 1978. This is where we still house our rigs today.
During the 1980’s the training for squad personnel became EMT (Emergency Medical Technician), CPR, Defensive Driving & Medivac. During these years, the squad saw the arrival of pagers, but the squad only had 3 to start with.
In September 1984, our Rescue truck was ordered for cost of $43,907.00. At this time, we had 20 members & handled 296 calls.
November of 1992 the squad purchased its first set of Jaws of Life.
In 1993 New Jersey passed a law allowing EMT’s to do defibrillation on cardiac arrest patients & the squad purchased its first semi-automatic defibrillator.
In October 1995, we purchased a 1995 Braun ambulance to replace one of our older rigs. In September of 1998 we purchased a 1998 Braun ambulance to replace our other old rig. We are still using these ambulances today. We are looking to purchase a new ambulance in the next few years.
In October of 2000 we purchased a new more efficient, lighter set of extrication tools to replace our older outdated ones.
In 2003 the Rescue Squad celebrated 50 years of serving the Community.
In 2004 we purchased a new Rescue truck to replace our 1984 GMC. This truck was designed by past member Tom Leone. The truck carries equipment needed at accident scenes as well as other types of incidents.
2010 saw the renovation of our downstairs area into a very flexible space for squad members. This area is used for storing first aid supplies, small meetings, paperwork & just visiting with one another.
2013 will see the Kingwood First Aid & Rescue Squad mark its 60th year of serving the Community & we still operate with only volunteers & do not charge for our services.
2015 we determined, the need to provide staffed crews Monday – Friday from 7 am till 5 pm. During this venture, we partnered with 41 Rescue (Quakertown EMS).
2018 we sold our Rescue Truck as it was a burden on the squad. We handed over the vehicle extrication services to our Kingwood Fire Company and sold the rescue truck to a Fire Company in Iowa. We will not miss that truck.
In 2019, we realized a need for staffed daytime coverage and have partnered with Altantic Ambulance Services. This partnership has enabled our volunteers to work a daytime job to support their families, while volunteering to provide emergency services at night.
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