Presenter recalls 50 years of Medina’s hospital‑based ambulance service

The presenter, who served as the service’s first director, told attendees at a 50th‑anniversary program that Medina’s modern ambulance service grew out of funeral‑home vehicles and a decision in the 1970s to make the hospital the center of emergency medical transport.

He said early motorized vehicles used as ambulances were often modified hearses and that local funeral homes staffed crews around the clock, providing the town’s initial emergency transport. “We charged $15 for a non‑emergency run and $18 for an emergency run,” the presenter said, adding that many out‑of‑town patients did not pay those fees.

The nut graf: when three funeral homes agreed to stop operating ambulances effective March 31, 1976, Medina faced three choices — ask the volunteer fire department, contract with a private ambulance company, or establish a hospital‑based service. The presenter described an interim six‑month arrangement with an Akron private provider while the city studied models at Mount Vernon and Lakewood and ultimately pursued a hospital‑centered approach funded by a proposed 1‑mill levy shared by the city and neighboring townships.

The presenter described the rationale for a hospital model: hospitals already handled meals and insurance billing, and embedding ambulances in the hospital strengthened relationships with emergency physicians. That link, he said, improved follow‑through on patient care and helped paramedics learn from outcomes. “We were able to watch the people that the other squads brought in, the care that they provided or didn’t provide, and what should have been done,” he said.

Staffing built on local firefighting and regional recruits. The presenter named several early hires recruited from nearby departments and said nine staff entered the first paramedic class at Tri‑C’s West Campus, completing a 12‑month program and state and national boards that enabled advanced life support operations.

Clinical practice evolved alongside staffing. The presenter described adopting standing orders and telemetry so field teams could act before hospital arrival, while acknowledging the resulting liability: physicians had to trust paramedics’ on‑scene decisions. He said the local team helped draft standing orders used more widely in the Cleveland area.

Fleet and equipment were early challenges. New ambulances in the 1970s bid between about $28,000 and $33,000 (Horton bid $35,000); the town initially purchased van‑style units that proved unreliable, nicknamed “Wayne Scare Vans.” The presenter recounted sending a crew to Put‑in‑Bay and later the loss of paramedic Bruce Mettler in a fog‑related plane crash while transporting personnel to Kelleys Island, a rare and tragic line‑of‑duty fatality.

Facilities improved incrementally: ambulances were first parked outside the ER until a shared garage was built, and early paramedics slept in a lead‑lined x‑ray room until a dedicated building arrived in 1989. The city later bought hydraulic rescue tools after a fatal accident prompted equipment upgrades, and turnout gear (fireproof boots, helmets) improved over time.

Branding and community identity also changed. The presenter said crews chose green ambulances because they are more visible, and the service adopted the name Life Support Team (LST), which became the enduring brand.

The presenter closed by thanking nurses, doctors and the community for passing levy after levy that sustained the unusual hospital‑based model. The talk ended when the presenter received a call and left for an emergency.