In 1939, a prominent citizen named Willard F. Bruen purchased a 1931
Cunningham hearse for the squad to use as an ambulance. In honor of this generous man,
the organization was name the W.F. Bruen Rescue Squad.
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The first ambulance response occurred on December 9, 1939 at 6:10p.m.
The patient has suffered a fractured ankle and was transported to Memorial Hospital.
The second ambulance response was 16 days later on December 25, 1939 for transportation
of a patient to their home. For the first full year of providing ambulance services,
79 responses were recorded.
In the 1940's, there was an increase in the demand for the services of
the rescue squad and the number of calls grew dramatically. In an effort to meet the
demands of the community, the rescue squad used state troopers as drivers for their
ambulances.
The 1950's was a memorable decade for the squad. In 1954, the Bruen
Hose firehouse was severely damaged by fire. Many records and equipment were lost in
the blaze. But on April 2, 1955, the squad responded to its first major catastrophe,
a wrecked New York Central passenger train near the Hudson River in Schodack Landing.
Many train cars were found cascaded over the river bank and resting in the water below.
The squad transported three patients from the incident to local hospitals. The log
book of the squad contained 2,389 ambulance responses for the decade, almost double
the number for the 1940's.
Within the 1960's, the rescue squad decided to expand to meet ever
rising community needs. In 1964, the squad became independent of the fire company,
purchasing land at 11 hampton Avenue, the Hampton Manor, Rensselaer. The building
was restructured to resemble a ranch house, blending in with local housing and squad
members provided the labor. At the close of the decade, the number of ambulance
responses had grown to 4,044.
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After 33 years 7,688 ambulance responses the rescue squad had entered
the 1970's with some changes being made to membership. Traditionally, the squad had
restricted membership to men who were residents of the Clifton Heights Fire District.
In the early 1970's, the squad expanded its membership to women, who had proven
themselves to be a valuable and necessary asset. Later on, membership was opened up
to the residents from the entire town of East Greenbush. In 1974, a two ambulance
operation was put into effect, using a rebuilt 1968 van as a rescue truck to assist
with major structural fires and mutual aid disasters. During the mid 70's, the squad
sponsored an EMT course at Columbia where 12 members became certified EMT's or Emergency
Medical Technicians. During the fall of 1977, the squad conducted a special pancake
breakfast fund-raiser for the benefit of the Cancer Fund and raised over $ 300.
By the end of 1983. the squad had responded to an average of 1,000
calls per year, providing annual coverage for the Pop Warner and Columbia High
School football home games and also the East Greenbush Girls Softball tournaments.
During the 80's, the squad conducted annual open houses for the community, as well
as 2 blood-pressure clinics per year and also bi-annual CPR courses and annual first
aid courses.
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