HISTORY OF LAFAYETTE AMBULANCE AND RESCUE SQUAD

On September 28, 1961 the local Valley Forge chapter of the Kiwanis Club sponsored a meeting to plan the organization of an ambulance and rescue squad for Upper Merion Township. The idea for the Lafayette Ambulance and Rescue Squad was proposed in October of 1960 when a combined committee of the Joint Service Committee and the Hospital Study Committee met and recommended an ambulance service for Upper Merion. Theodore Kunda Sr. was the organizing chairman with Leo Boyle in charge of personnel and Margaret Krauss engaged to teach first aid courses to prospective members. The original proposal called for an ambulance plus other emergency medical services, but financial limitations restricted the new squad to start with only ambulance service. In January of 1962 the original founders signing the Articles of Incorporation of Lafayette Ambulance & Rescue Squad, Inc. were Theodore E.C. Kunda Sr, Wilfred K. Horrocks, Judge Robert Honeyman, A.W. Martin, Betsy Myers, Jean Schultz, C. Robert Enoch, Harold Robinson and Dr. Watson Gutkowski. 

The new entity was an all-volunteer organization governed by a volunteer Board of Directors, led by the President of the organization, which had responsibility for the organizational and business aspects of the squad, while the Medical Operations were conducted by the volunteer members of the organization which was led by the member elected Squad Chief.    The Board of Directors consisted of both community members and squad members and a representative from the Upper Merion Police Department.

The first ambulance purchased in June 1962 was an “International” and was housed at the Kunda Sign Company on DeKalb Pike. Today the location is a Pep Boys. An “International” was a standard model at the time. It was a station wagon type vehicle with access doors in the back for loading patients and emergency equipment. The ambulance was painted orange and white. With the growth of the township, Lafayette Ambulance also grew and moved into their very own headquarters on October 23, 1969 which was totally paid for with donations and volunteer work. The familiar building located on North Henderson Road across from the car wash remained their home for the rest of their existence. The new building provided a two-vehicle garage, and a second ambulance was obtained. A second floor was added to the Lafayette Ambulance building in 1972 to provide sleeping quarters for the crew to improve the response time of the service. This was about the time when the first two-way radios were introduced to improve communications. Until that time Lafayette Ambulance members could only communicate by telephone. Ambulance Dispatch was later done by the Upper Merion Police Department via a “Red Phone” direct line and police radio

 Over the years the operations side of the organization had many squad chiefs which included Len Wesendorf, Karl Herrman, Sam Tabak and Pam Forster to name a few.   The Board of Directors also were led by various Presidents including Wilfred Horrocks, nicknamed “Ooky”, Walter Hertzog, Robert Enoch, Tom Grace, Robert Krutsick who served for 12 years, Brandie Nemchenko and Jen Schauble.   Mrs. Pat Haggerty served as Board Secretary for many of the early years of the organization and Deborah Morris Joegenson was Recording Secretary. 

In 1978 Montgomery County started offering Paramedic training and several Lafayette members took advantage of the early training.  Paramedic services were offered a few years later adding the equipment needed for the paramedics including medical drugs and IV lines, and heart monitors. UHF radios were also purchased so emergency medics could communicate directly with the local hospitals. In 1987 pagers were purchased so ambulance members could respond to nearby emergency calls if available from home or work.

Lafayette ambulance volunteers were often a family affair which included Len and Caroline Wesendorf, Rod and Antoinette Stoer, Christine and Al Riley, Dennis and Diane Rizzo, Pete and Dee Smyrk, and father and son Robert and Jeffrey Scott and Theresa and Julie Nickler to name a few.  And many members served the community for decades like Mary Bacchi, Ted Kunda and Ed Mehalick.

In 1991 all administrative functions, such as centralized billing, member files, and all squad related business were consolidated into the Lafayette Ambulance building on Henderson Road.  In 1995 a third ambulance was added to Lafayette’s fleet and in 1997 the Lafayette Ambulance building was expanded to add two additional bays in the back of the building, additional storage, and an administrative office. The number of volunteers started to decline over time and the Board decided to hire full time Paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians to staff the ambulances along with the volunteers.  The Board also authorized the hiring of office staff and an Executive Manager to handle ambulance management and administrative issues including billing and proposals for grants. Steve Roskos held the position for several years and was a vital contributor to the success of the organization. 

The squad was also very active in the Township community. They provided first aid and CPR courses to the community. The squad also provided service to multiple Township events and attended various Township functions for the safety of the community including Upper Merion football games.   Lafayette had volunteer members ranging from young adults to working community members to retired individuals who offered their available time and services.   To spur interest in the service and gain additional volunteers Lafayette Ambulance created a program called Running to Save Lives, a Junior Member Program in April 1974 for young students to learn and grow with the organization.

Over the years the squad went through multiple vehicle upgrades and new vehicle purchases and equipped them with the latest medical technology. The squad was always self-funding through the annual subscription services and then eventually billing patients who were not subscribers to the service.  The township started to provide funding for the vehicles as they became very expensive items for the squad.  The squad always had a close relationship with the Upper Merion Police since its inception back in 1961.  There was always a member of the police on the Board of Directors to act as a liaison between the two organizations.  The UMPD always had a policeman respond to every medical emergency call to help as necessary and several of the police were trained to aid in the medical care until the ambulance arrived.

Throughout the 2000s Lafayette Ambulance & Rescue Squad continued to respond to more and more medical emergencies from all over Upper Merion Township.  They responded to fire calls and accidents anywhere in the township or on the Upper Merion portion of the PA turnpike and the Schuylkill Expressway. Wherever the call may have come from they were there. In 2007, Lafayette Ambulance became the Emergency Service provider for Bridgeport. The Goodwill Fire Company of Bridgeport had served Upper Merion Township prior to Lafayette and provided backup to Lafayette until it closed in 1999. In the last decade the demand increased as responders answered an ever-increasing number of critical and varied calls for emergency medical treatment and transport.

In May of 2019 the Lafayette Ambulance and Rescue Squad was dissolved by the squad’s governing board. An agreement had been arranged for its functions to be taken over by a new division of the Upper Merion Township Department of Public Safety. The final President of Lafayette was Jennifer Schauble with Ed Mehalick as long-time secretary of the organization and Edward Robson, Esq. overseeing the dissolution.

Lafayette Ambulance and Rescue Squad is gone. But the work of the many volunteers and paid staff to save lives will always be remembered and appreciated. For many years they were the ones who answered the call when the lives of friends and neighbors were in danger. For their service to the Township, they will never be forgotten but remain in the minds and hearts of Township residents.