Cadillac Ambulance A-2 & A-2 (1950s)

Ambulances A-1 & A-2 – Cadillac Ambulances

The Ambulance Division of the Pocomoke City Volunteer Fire Company was established in 1954, marking the beginning of organized emergency medical transport services provided directly by the department. The division was created when Henry Watson of Watson Funeral Home was no longer able to continue providing ambulance services to the City of Pocomoke.

To support the launch of the new service, Mr. Watson donated a Cadillac ambulance to the fire company. This original unit became the department’s first official ambulance and was designated A-1. Over the next 15 years, the original Cadillac was replaced by two additional Cadillac ambulances, expanding and modernizing the ambulance fleet during a formative period in the department’s EMS history.

Several longtime members recall that the second Cadillac ambulance purchased to accompany the original cost approximately $17,000, a significant investment for the department at the time. Unfortunately, the exact model years and service dates for the Cadillac ambulances are unknown.

These early Cadillac ambulances laid the foundation for the department’s EMS operations and represent the transition from funeral-home-based ambulance service to a community-based emergency medical response system operated by the fire company.

Views: 2