HISTORY OF YORK AMBULANCE
The York Ambulance Association Inc (YAAI), originally known as the York Volunteer Ambulance Association, was founded on March 17, 1972, by concerned residents of York, Maine. The story began on a cold and wet winter in 1971 where an emergency occurred in front of the original Lesswing’s Hardware store on York Street, a woman had been struck by a car and was suffering a leg injury. She could not be moved and was laying in the cold slush. She was located less than a quarter of a mile away from York hospital, less than a 5-minute transportation time. At the time York did not have an ambulance service, it is said that she waited between 20 to 90 minutes for an ambulance from Kittery, either Earle Ambulance or the shipyard to come to her aid and get her to the hospital. The Lesswings, Fred and Rosemarie remained with her until EMS arrived.
Word was spread throughout the community, and a decision was made to do something to correct the problem. This incident spurred the Lesswings and other community members to form a committee. The first meeting was held at the Lesswing home and known in attendance was Fred and Rosemarie Lesswing, Steve Moore, Leo Guy, Lynwood Perkins, Sherman Hysler, Mary Andrews and Henry Cadwalader. Their discussions are what spurred the establishment of a private ambulance service in York, York Beach, York Harbor, and Cape Neddick.
Starting out, they had qualified people willing to give their time. Mary Andrews was a registered nurse, Steve Moore and Leo Guy from the York Beach Fire Department had EMT training. Officers were elected, Lynwood Perkins became President, Rosemarie Lesswing was Secretary, and Sherm Hysler was Treasurer. The largest hurdle they had was finding a way to fund the project and purchase an ambulance for the community. Committee member Henry Cadwalader said he had some friends who would be willing to donate to such a good cause, and the committee also came up with the idea of asking for a flat rate of $5.00 once per year, per family, in the town. A membership committee was formed, and post office box was paid for. Applications were sent out and the response was immediate and overwhelming. This was the birth of the ambulance membership which is still up and running to this day. The membership helps both the ambulance association and the members of our community.
Durin this time the Town of Wells was purchasing a new ambulance for themselves and selling their old one. The committee was able to purchase the Cadilac ambulance for $5600. It initially was housed at Mary Andrews home where she had a half-circle driveway. It was kept there with the battery on a charger and oxygen inside so it wouldn’t freeze. Volunteer crews, initially receiving Red Cross First Aid training, would respond to emergency calls via beeper.
Over time, as the community grew and the demand for full-time coverage and advanced medical care increased, YAA transitioned from a fully volunteer organization to one with professional paid staff, becoming York Ambulance Association Inc. Today, YAA operates 24/7 with nationally and state-certified paramedics and EMTs out of two stations in York, Maine and South Berwick, Maine.
The York Ambulance Association’s mission, established in 1972, remains to provide excellent pre-hospital care to the residents and visitors of the communities it serves, including York, South Berwick, Maine and Rollinsford, New Hampshire.
