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The following information has been submitted by our former historian, Richard Leven. Dansville Ambulance Company - 1994 thru 1998 On June 14, 1994 at approximately 12:15AM, a thunderstorm passed over Dansville. A lightning strike near or directly to the ambulance base resulted in a surge of power throughout the base's electrical system. The surge was absorbed by most of the circuit breakers within the base except for the shoreline providing power to Ambulance 816 which was a 1976 Horton Type I modular ambulance. A fire began within the ambulance's charging system and quickly spread to the nearby oxygen lines. The fire being fed by the oxygen became hot enough to melt the outside aluminum skin of the ambulance. Ambulance 816 was destroyed, but the Dansville Fire Department did a fantastic job in saving the building. With the help of the ambulance company's insurance company, the Village of Dansville and donations, the ambulance company was able to purchase a new Type III modular ambulance in the fall of 1994.
1995 In October of 1995, a pickup truck collided with a Dansville school bus being driven by our former captain, John Reinholtz. It was the first time in recent history that Dansville Ambulance's MCI plan was put to the test. Dansville Ambulance was assisted by ambulances from Springwater, Livonia and Wayland along with Mercy Flight sending two helicopters. A passenger and the driver of the pickup truck both died from there injuries. John Reinholtz and the children on the school bus all recovered from their injuries. Also in October of 1995, the estate of Frances Woolever and Emma Evans left the Dansville Ambulance Company close to a quarter of a million dollars. With the corps needing to continually ask other organizations for meeting spaces and places to hold training classes, a great opportunity to construct a base of operations for the ambulance that would have enough room for meeting and training activities was at hand. Plans for the new base began in early 1996 with a preliminary location being the corner of Main and Knox Streets. In 1995, Dansville Ambulance was named "Agency of the Year" by the Monroe-Livingston Regional EMS Council. 1996 In 1996 battle lines were drawn between the ambulance company and the residents of Main Street and Knox Street over the proposed new ambulance base. Heated public hearings, letters to the editors (both for and against) and spirited village board meetings where the main stay throughout the year. Finally, the owner of an apartment building on Main Street filed a court action against the ambulance company and the village in an effort to stop the process. Not having the monies to fight a court battle, the ambulance company announced it's intentions to stop pursuing building it's base at that location. Once again, the search was on for a suitable location for a new base. The other 'big' story of 1996 came from the Town of Ossian (which Dansville Ambulance covers). The Town of Ossian voted not to renew it's contract with the Ossian Volunteer Fire Department and instead contract out with the Canaseraga and Dansville Fire Departments. The leaders of the Ossian Fire Department took their cause to the local papers and a war of words was fought between them, the town council in Ossian and the Dansville Ambulance. The ambulance corps got dragged into it by this article in the Livingston County News: In it, the Ossian Fire Chief was quoted as to saying that a couple of deaths within the town could have been avoided if his department was still viable and operating. Dansville Ambulance was criticized for lengthy response times into the township of Ossian.
In August of 1996, plans were unveiled for a new ambulance base to be located on a vacant lot across from the Convenient Food Mart on Ossian Street. Ambulance company officials held their breath for another wave of dissent coming from area residents, but it never came. In October of 1996, an eighth grader in the Dansville Middle School was credited for saving a fellow classmates life. Then ambulance corps director Kip Biddle honored the student with a certificate of valor during a ceremony at the Middle School. The eighth grader said he plans on joining the ambulance and fire department when he gets older. That young man made good on his word:
1997 Monroe Ambulance and Rural/Metro Ambulance, both from Rochester, announced they will begin operations within the borders of Livingston County. Rural/Metro of Corning (formerly the Corning Ambulance Service) had been operating a paramedic fly-car out of Wayland for the past few years. On September 28, 1997 a ground breaking ceremony was held at the site of the new ambulance base: 18 Ossian Street. The new ambulance base during various stages of construction between September 1997 thru May, 1998:
1998 The ribbon cutting ceremony for the new ambulance base took place on May 16, 1998 Click on the following links for more history of the Dansville Ambulance Company: |
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