A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE WINDSOR LOCKS LIONS AMBULANCE CORPS
Since 1944, the Windsor Locks Lions Ambulance Corps (WLLAC) has served the town of Windsor Locks, creating a proud and substantial history along the way.
The motto of Lions Clubs International is "We Serve." Serving is certainly what the charter members of the Windsor Locks Lions Club had in mind with the inception of its club in 1943. Our ambulance service possesses a history rich in service tradition. It is quite a feat that the Emergency Medical Service (EMS) providers of the ambulance have now been rendering emergency aid, saving lives and bringing back lives for all these years. We are proud of these dedicated individuals and to the legacy that they left us.
With so much to cover, an abbreviated delineation of our history is in order. It is appropriated to note that significant events and milestones are highlighted. Therefore, allow us to pay tribute to the ones who answer the calls for help. The EMS providers who have been staffing the ambulance for all these decades are the backbone to the success of the organization. They respond to emergencies at all hours of the day or night, seven days a week, 365 days of the year. They respond to disasters and to mass casualty incidents. Moreover, they perform standby for airport and fire emergencies, sports, recreation, and other events. They conduct tours, seminars and blood pressure clinics.
THE AMBULANCE CUSTODIAN
The Lions Club needed someone to supervise this newly formed am-bulance service. In all actuality, the Ambulance Chairman (or Chief, as he is known today) did not exist for the first eight years of the Windsor Locks Lions Ambulance Corps. The person in charge was called the Custodian. The honor of having served as first Ambulance Custodian goes to Philip Koelher, who served in that post until July, 1946. Adolf Fournier was our second Ambulance Custodian who served from July, 1946 to July, 1948. Bernard "Lucky" Kulas took over as third Ambulance Custodian. He served until July of 1952, and in 1949, he secured the first replacement ambulance, a 1947 Buick.
THE AMBULANCE COMMITTEE
As time progressed, ambulance calls increased. Emergency calls more than doubled from 52 in 1944, to 119 in 1952. The organization grew and needed more of an administrative network. At the time, the Lions decided to create the position of Ambulance Chairman. The first committee of assistants were Laurence Ferrari, Robert Harvey, Lucky Kulas, Harry Wenzel, and Charles Zimowski, named in July of 1952.
THE FIRST CHAIRMAN
Bob Barberi, "Mr. Ambulance," served as Chairman for 30 years until 1982! It is no wonder, by virtue of having served so long, that Bob earned his well-deserved nickname. Obviously, he earned this title by his accomplishments — he sculpted the Chairmanship and the Corps for three decades and his influence still remains. His enthusiasm and energy, which are still displayed today, paved the way for Bob to bring the ambulance association to the standards of excellence it enjoys today. Ambulances were once regarded as "meat wagons" but Bob developed the Windsor Locks Ambulance Corps into service with professionally staffed vehicles. He led us from infancy to adulthood.
At the onset of our ambulance association, only a doctor could request an ambulance. At that time, doctors made house calls. If the doctor deemed it necessary, he would call out the ambulance. The police dispatcher, who received the doctor’s calls would phone Lions members who would in turn, respond. They then transported the patient through the city streets to one of the area hospitals. Remember, Interstate 91 did not exist back then.
SOME AMBULANCE PURCHASES
In 1959, Bob and his committee procured the first of six ambulances of his tenure. This vehicle was a 1953 Packard and was used until 1959 when the Lions first purchased a Cadillac ambulance. Then the 1965 Cadillacs followed. With the advent of the new state Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS), the Cadillacs were replaced by van ambulances. 1976 saw the arrival of a Dodge van ambulance. The next ambulance was even larger. It was a 1978 Chevrolet Class III ambulance. The cost of the ‘78 ambulance was $28,000—seventeen times more expensive than our first.
THE 50s AND 60s
In 1959, Chairman Bob first equipped the ambulance with 2-way radio communication. During this era police officer Lucky Kulas initiated a practice in which police often assisted the ambulance staff. In the 70’s and 80’s, most Windsor Locks Police officers became certified EMT’s. The creation of EMT certification was a drastic change in ambulance service. In the early 50s, ambulance attendants became certified in basic first aid. In the 60s they became advanced first aid responders. Then, their level of training changed, to the newly developed CPR level. In the early 70s, OEMS created a standard which called for ambulance personnel to attain even more advanced training. The entire state was covered by ambulance attendants trained and certified as Medical Response Technicians (MRTs) and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs).
THE 1970s
Due to the training required by OEMS, it became difficult to recruit volunteers. The Lions turned to town residents asking for their help in staffing the WLLAC. Corps membership was then opened to all residents. At that time, the first women joined the service. Bob actively recruited a young women, Enid Shea, who was a nurse and top notch medic. She became the leader of the freshly reorganized Corps and went on to become the town’s first and only EMT instructor.
Bob worked with Con O’Leary, our State Representative at the time, to implement a law in 1974 whereby ambulance personnel were authorized to use green lights to respond to emergencies.
Ambulance Committee Secretary Roger Nelson helped the Corps to acquire its first pagers. Corps members were now allowed greater mobility within town.
THE 1980s
Windsor Locks Lions Ambulance Corps obtained yet more communication devices for individual members. The early 80s saw the purchase of 2-way portable radios. The attendants could now speak directly to the dispatcher. As Chairman Barberi’s reign started to wind down, OEMS mandated that area paramedic services be involved in higher level training, using more expensive equipment — large van or box-type ambulances. Budgets expanded, Corps membership grew.
THE SECOND CHAIRMAN
Lion Roger Nelson became our second Windsor Locks Lions Ambulance Corps Chairman. He served in this capacity until July, 1985. Roger was the first to place the motto "We Serve" on the (third box-type) ambulance, a 1983 Ford Clas-sic II.
An extremely important addition to the ambulance association was the paramedic to Bradley Airport. Bradley Fire and Rescue approached the WLLAC and requested permission to respond in our town. Chairman Nelson negotiated with airport officials to work out an agreement. Other towns benefitted from this agreement.
During Roger’s chairmanship, Hartford Hospital’s Life Star helicopter came into being. Windsor Locks services were the first to become educated on Life Star; not long after that the town started using Life Star for the most serious calls.
THE THIRD CHAIRMAN
Lion member Jack Navaroli replaced Roger Nelson in July of 1985 to become our third Ambulance Chairman. The first and only "super box" ambulance was acquired. It was a 1986 Ford Super Class III. This ambulance was so large that most Corps members could stand upright in it.
THE FOURTH CHAIRMAN
Roger Ignazio went on to become the fourth Ambulance Chairman, starting in July of 1986. Roger’s term was marked by organizing and updating our service. He directed the creation and revision of a mass casualty protocol.
THE FIFTH AMBULANCE CHAIRMAN
Lion Joseph Barile succeeded Roger in July, 1987, as the fifth Ambulance Chairman. At the age of 24, he was the youngest chairman to serve in our history. Joe’s term was marked by expansion and added services. He served until September of 1991. During Joe’s tenure, mutual aid was formally introduced. Mutual aid is an agreement in which ambulances from neighboring towns respond to each other when the need arises. When one ambulance was out on repairs or a call, an ambulance from the other town would come in. For the first few decades of our service many other towns lacked ambulance service.
MEDIC 2
Good fortune had finally arrived. The FINAST Corporation housed an ambulance that it used for its employees, as well as for mutual aid to our town. After the FINAST Ambulance stopped taking calls, negotiations took place with Chief Barile and the State OEMS resulting in the corporation donating its 1976 Dodge ambulance to the Windsor Locks Lions Ambulance Corps. We gratefully accepted that vehicle, which was donated in the memory of Laurie "Irish" Moran in May, 1989. On August 12, 1989, during ceremonies at ambulance headquarters, the town commissioned our first Medic 2.
EXPANSION OF HEADQUARTERS
After 45 years, we finally had more than a simple bay for our service. The Town of Windsor Locks furnished us with the entire building. The Town has been good to us over the years. We sincerely appreciate all that has been done and is continuing to be done for us. Corps members, committee members, and Lions all teamed together to renovate and expand the headquarters.
DIESEL AMBULANCES
Due to safety federal emission regulations, diesel engines were required for ambulances. In 1989, the time had come to retire the ‘86 rig; it was replaced by our first diesel ambulance, a 1989 Ford Super Van. The Corps maintained the use of two vehicles. The following year, Medic 2 was replaced by a 1991 Ford Class II diesel ambulance, at a cost of $62,500. This thirteenth ambulance of our organization cost thirty-eight times more than our original ambulance.
DEFIBRILLATION
Pieces of equipment which cost the Lions thousand of dollars were our two defibrillators. Each one comes in at price of $5,000. They have saved many lives over the years.
THE SIXTH AMBULANCE CHAIRMAN
Lion Andrew Kulas took over as the sixth Windsor Locks Lions Ambulance Chairman in September 1991. His term was marked by continued expansion and by Corps’ growth and participation. He was also the Chairman fortunate to usher the ambulance service through its 50th anniversary. Chairman Andy instituted auxiliary membership to WLLAC. This position was conferred to these non-Lions, non-Corps members who assist the Corps in the much needed areas which do not deal directly with responding to ambulance calls. They, like so many others, act as support staff for the Corps. Chuck Lincoln became the Auxiliary Member in March of 1992; in June of that year, Anne Barberi and Phyllis Peacock were granted Auxiliary Membership status.
DUTY CHIEFS
The position of Chief was becoming more demanding, and Chairman Andy devised a way to lighten the load. He inaugurated a command system of Duty Chiefs. These officers take on the personnel and field duties of the Chief during set time periods. In addition to assisting the Chairman, these Duty Chiefs experienced the taste of running an ambulance service.
1994: THE SEVENTH AND EIGHTH CHAIRMEN — THE TRANSITION
Lion Stephen Molinari succeeded Andrew Kulas as the traditional Chairman/Chief. During Steve’s time in this capacity, the Windsor Locks Lions Club struggled with a major dilemma. The early 90’s saw a major decline in volunteer EMS providers available to staff our ambulance during the day. The Lions were faced with a difficult choice: either retire the 50-year old community service project, or find a way to keep it going without sacrificing the high quality patient care the community had come to depend on during the previous half century.
After numerous meetings, it was decided that the WLLAC would continue with some major changes. Part time paid EMT’s needed to be hired to supplement the volunteers on staff. Along with this, a paid Chief of Service was needed to supervise the mix of volunteer and paid staff and to handle the growing amount of administrative work required to keep the service running
To fund these changes, the service had to begin billing for ambulance calls, so unfortunately, 50 years of free EMS care had drawn to a close.
During November, 1994, the Windsor Locks Lions Club began the process of searching for its first paid Chief. An interview committee was formed and their recommendation to fill this position was Stephen Molinari.
This change required that the Chairman and Chief positions must be held by two different people. Lion Joseph Barile was selected by the Club to succeed Stephen Molinari as Chairman of the Ambulance Executive Board (AEB). The next step in this process was to hire part time EMT’s to work with the volunteer members to staff the primary ambulance 24 hours a day. Once this was accomplished, it was decided that the revised Windsor Locks Lions Club Ambulance service would go "on line" during December of 1994.
EMT-INTERMEDIATE — THE NINTH CHAIRMAN
Lion Patricia "Trish" Julian succeeded Joe Barile as the ninth Chairman of the Ambulance Executive Board. She held this position until 2003.
After much discussion, the Ambulance Executive Board and the Lions Board of Directors decided to upgrade the ambulance service to Paramedic level. This process required submitting an application to the State of Connecticut Department of Public Health, purchasing the required equipment, and hiring enough Paramedics to staff the primary ambulance at this level 24 hours a day, every day, year-round.
Along with this, our first two ambulances were both reaching the end of reliable service life. This upgrade required a great deal of coordination and planning. A used, low-mileage Road Rescue ambulance was purchased to provide a more reliable primary unit (Medic 1). Used Physio Controls Lifepak II Cardiac Monitor-Defibrillators were obtained from the manufacturer. The other equipment and medications required were purchased. The State Department of Public Health approved our application to upgrade to the Paramedic level and our service went on line as such in the summer of 1998.
2000s
Our used Road Rescue ambulance served us well, but was in serious need of replacement. A new 2000 McCoy Miller Type 3 ambulance was purchased to replace this truck. Another duplicate McCoy Miller was purchased in 2001, as our back-up unit was requiring frequent major repairs to keep it on the road.
THE TENTH AMBULANCE CHAIRMAN
Lion Hallie Wong succeeded Lion Trish Julian as Ambulance Executive Board Chairman in July of 2003. As the standards of medical care changed, so our protocols did as well. Our service and Paramedics provide Advanced Life Support Care under medical authorization and sponsorship from Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford. We provide this level of care under the direction of their physicians.
2014 AND BEYOND
The ambulances, provider, and equipment have changed through the years, but the goal of the Windsor Locks Lions Club Ambulance Corps remains the same — to provide high quality patient care to the people we treat.
We routinely work with vendors and Saint Francis Hospital to evaluate new equipment and procedures in the field. Some of these things move on to become part of our protocols.
With the advances being made in technology, we are able to bring many treatment options normally found in the hospital directly to the patients’ homes. This, combined with highly skilled EMS providers and the wonderful support of the community help us to meet our primary goal — superior patient care.
Thank You for Your Support!
