Ambulance services for the Town of Windsor began in 1939 as part of the Windsor Volunteer Fire Department. After a series of events between 1979-1980, 26 individuals petitioned the town council for control of the ambulance. On ecember 7th, 1980, this request was granted and they were given a Cadillac ambulance (Windsor Car 3), its contents, and a building on Union Street which had previously served as a fire station, a police station, and then cold storage. In the beginning, the members paid out of their own pockets to resupply the ambulance and set up a schedule to cover the town. Windsor Volunteer Ambulance was incorporated shortly thereafter.
In the 1980's we saw call volume go from 900 calls in the first year of operation to an average of 2000 calls over the next 9 years. During this time, membership increased from the 26 founding members to the 140 active members.
WVA's level of service was upgraded to EMT-Intermediate in February of 1984, and to EMT-Paramedic in 1992. We moved to our present facility on William Street, in January 1991 which allowed us to improve our services. We were able to add a third ambulance and 2 Paramedic Intercept vehicles to our fleet and provided training rooms, staff offices, crew quarters, storage and supply space.
To ensure the survival of Windsor Volunteer Ambulance Inc. into the future, we began billing for services rendered in 1992. Due to the rising healthcare costs, we depend on billing from insurance companies and public donations.
Today, Windsor Volunteer Ambulance Inc. responds to more than 4000 911 emergency calls per year. We have over 60 members serving more than 27,500 town residence and covering an area of over 30 square miles. Windsor is one of the busiest volunteer services in the state, and as such attacts many EMS volunteers looking for experience.
Windsor Volunteer Ambulance is active in the community through many programs and special events. WVA is always looking for people who are interested in serving their community. We also depend on the support of the community to help us provide a high quality service.
We look forward to continued service to the people of Windsor, Wilson, Poquonock, and Hayden Station.