Rescue Squad

With the advent of the 1960's, a new awareness of the importance of advanced emergency care was sweeping the nation. Babylon Village had an ambulance service run by various organizations for many years, but it was little more than a transportation service to the local hospitals. It was determined that a trained Rescue Squad was definitely needed. The Fire Department with its sophisticated alerting system and abundant manpower was the logical choice to establish and operate such a squad.

On December 5, 1960, the first organizational meeting was held and Ex-Captain Oliver Davison of the Sumpwams Hose Company was elected the first Squad Leader. The Squad went into service on September 15, 1961, manning a new Superior Rescue ambulance built on a Cadillac chassis. In its first full year of operation the Squad responded to 162 calls. Today, however, the Rescue Squad is by far the busiest unit of the Department responding to approximately 1,700 calls annually.

Key Milestones:

• 1976: A modular Horton ambulance on a Chevrolet chassis was put into service.
• 1984: The Squad put into service a modular Horton 500 ambulance fully equipped with advanced life support and extrication equipment.
• 1991: A state-of-the-art Blue Star ambulance on a Ford F350 chassis was put into service.
• 1996: A modular Horton ambulance on a GMC 3500 chassis was put into service.
• 2002: The Lion's Club donated two EMS bicycles which were put into service as units 1-2-17 and 1-2-18.
• 2006: A modular Horton ambulance on a Ford E-350 chassis was put into service.
• 2010: The Rescue Squad was honored by the Babylon Rotary Club with a Paul Harris Fellowship Award.
• 2010: Babylon's first-ever First Responder Vehicle was placed into service as unit 1-2-80.
• 2017: Unit 1-2-10 was replaced with a 2017 Ford E450/Horton ambulance and unit 1-2-80 was replaced with a 2007 Chevy Tahoe.
• 2019: Two new bicycles were acquired and put in service as replacements for units 1-2-17 and 1-2-18.
• 2020: Unit 1-2-80 was replaced with a 2012 Chevy Tahoe which was previously a chief's vehicle.
• 2023: Babylon's first-ever second ambulance was placed into service as unit 1-2-15, a 2023 Ford E450/Demers secured through ARPA funds.

The Rescue Squad is manned around the clock by its membership. Each member of the Squad is assigned to a specific crew which is responsible for a 12-hour tour per week. Many members are Emergency Medical Technicians, Critical Care Technicians, and Paramedics.

In addition to providing Rescue coverage to the Village and Beach Protection Districts, the Squad also has been involved with several other activities. It supplies standby coverage for all home High School football games and other events such as the Country Fair, Snapper Derby, Greek Epiphany, and even the NYC Marathon. Drills are held with the U.S. Coast Guard, Suffolk County Police Department, and neighboring fire departments.

Over the years the Squad has responded to thousands of calls that have encompassed every type of medical emergency. Many infants have been brought into this world by the caring members of the squad.

The Rescue Squad is the only unit of the Fire Department that responds to every type of alarm. It has been recognized over the years for the fine service it provides by generous donations from the Babylon Lions Club and others.

The Babylon Fire Department Rescue Squad takes great pride in the fine record it has had over the last 60+ years and looks forward to providing the best emergency service possible to the community for many years to come.