The Ambulance members of the Hartly Volunteer Fire Company respectfully solicit your support for our Ambulance Club Membership.  When you join our Ambulance Club, all members of your household will be provided ambulance service as detailed below.  In addition, you will be helping us to assure the needed continuation of this valuable basic life support service to our community through your contributions. 

Membership in our Club entitles anyone living in your household to unlimited FREE ambulance service anywhere on the Eastern Shore including the Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Washington DC areas for a period of one year (provided a crew and ambulance are available).  However, a physician must order ALL non-emergency requests.  It will be your responsibility to insure that our Ambulance Service is contacted through our Emergency 911 Dispatch Center for all emergency or non-emergency transports to or from local health care facilities.

Membership in our Club is open to all persons residing in the Hartly Ambulance District for an annual contribution of $35.00, which is tax deductible.  Membership in the Club will run from July 1 through June 30.  All memberships will expire on June 30 regardless of when they were initiated.  Pro-rated memberships are not available.  This enrollment period will end August 31 and will not re-open until July 1. 

The three Hartly ambulances responded to 780 calls for help during 2010.  At least one, often three, National Registered EMT-B members man each ambulance call.  The Emergency Medical Technician training program requires over 150 hours of training to become certified in CPR, the use of Automatic External Heart Defibrillators (AED), Pre-hospital Trauma Care, and overall patient assessment.  Along with the Kent County Paramedics, we provide an excellent pre-hospital emergency care team.

Each ambulance costs in excess of $170,000.  We have a total of six Automatic External Heart Defibrillators (AEDs) at a cost of over $3,000 each.  One is in each of our ambulances and the Rescue Truck.  Each of the other two AEDs was put in an "Echo Response Jump Bag" and the "Quick Response Echo Team" was established.  We have two teams available at this time.  Each team consists of at least one EMT ambulance officer, who responds directly to the scene to aid victims of a cardiac arrest or life-threatening emergency until the ambulance and paramedics arrive.  Each team uses their privately owned vehicle to respond to the scene.  All of our ambulance officers are assigned 800 MHz radios that allow for communications with all parties involved with the emergency.  We believe these two response teams help to decrease our response time to victims of life threatening emergencies.  The cost to provide ambulance service is approximately $100,000 per year.  The ambulance employs one person Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to assure coverage during the daytime while some of the volunteers are at work. 

"Please help us to help you."  Your financial support and help is very much needed and appreciated.  This contribution should not be confused or considered as a donation toward the maintenance of your local Fire Department.  Again, thank you for your support.