About Us “Friends for Life”
As part of the statewide Emergency Medical System (EMS), HVAS is committed to having certified medical personnel stabilize a patient prior to transport to the nearest appropriate medical facility. Such a system has proven to reduce greatly the severity of the initial injury and the duration of any long-term disability.
Operating out of our headquarters centrally located at 9 Skinner Road, HVAS has a dedicated staff of highly trained medical personnel to provide the town with round-the-clock emergency coverage. Each of the medical personnel are certified by the State as either Emergency Medical Response or Emergency Medical Technician (EMR or EMT). Such certification requires upwards of 120 hours of intense classroom and practical field experience. Medical skills are further sharpened by regular training sessions, which HVAS conducts on a weekly basis.
Our headquarters house the service's two radio-equipped ambulances. Both ambulances are fully-outfitted with advanced emergency care equipment, including:
- Stethoscopes and blood pressure monitors,
- Portable oxygen units
- Trauma dressings
- OB and burn kits
- Cervical collars and splints
As all medical personnel can be summoned directly to the patient site via electronic radio pagers, HVAS can typically respond to 911 medical calls within minutes.
HVAS also benefits from the work of our office staff and coordinators, a dedicated group of individuals who assist the service in non-medical areas, thereby allowing our technicians to devote more time to training and other duties. Primarily, the Auxiliary coordinates important office management tasks such as fund raising, subscription monitoring, promotional and service-morale activities. Their efforts are critical to the success of HVAS.
Haddam Volunteer Ambulance was founded in 1976 by a group of concerned private citizens in order to provide an appropriate level of emergency care to the residents of Haddam and Higganum.
The ambulance service is run on a volunteer basis, to provide the town's essential medical services to residents and visitors.
The Haddam Volunteer Ambulance Service, consisting of volunteer and career staff, are highly trained EMS personnel who take duty hours 365 days a year including holidays and weekends. Corps members train monthly and attend special recertification courses.
Haddam Ambulance transports over 600 patients from town each year and also serves as back up for adjacent towns including East Haddam, Chester and Killingworth.
No resident or visitor to Haddam and Higganum is ever denied emergency transportation.
Haddam Ambulance corps members volunteer for demonstrations at schools, coverage at sporting events, at Haddam River Days, the Pumpkin Run, the Lion's Club events and the public health fair every year.
The annual fundraising provides the service with much needed funds to purchase stretchers, oxygen tanks and other supplies on the ambulance.
Our motto "Friends for Life" has great meaning for us as we work to provide the finest quality medical care for our friends, neighbors and visitors at a moment's notice every day of the year.