The Boyertown Community Ambulance Service was founded in 1941 by Earl H. Keim, the president of the Lions Club of Boyertown at the time. The organization started with 21 members and by the end of the year, they had a total of 44 members. They began a fundraising drive and received donations from individuals and businesses of the community. They held weekend peach and ice cream festivals on the East Third St church property to help raise funds for the organization. The first ambulance was to be a Ford chassis, modified by Boyertown Auto Body Works, Inc. which was housed and dedicated in the founding year. Burgess Roy F. Schealer accepted the first ambulance
on behalf of the community. The first corps of drivers consisted of 14 men who responded to 81 calls that year. The total cost of the operation was $1,200.
In 1948, the Boyertown Lions Community Ambulance was incorporated as a non-profit organization by the Berks County Court. The second ambulance was purchased. It was a Chevrolet chassis that was again modified by Boyertown Auto Body, Inc. at total cost of $4,800. The first custom-built, all-purpose Packard was purchased in 1951. Its cost was $7,685 and a fund drive was started to offset the cost of this purchase. The goal was to raise $4,800, but the drive ended up netting $5,201.50.
In 1953, a lot at Third St and Chestnut St was purchased for $2,700 which was to be used to construct the new first aid center.
Another fund drive was started to help raise funding for the new building. The goal this time was $23,000, but the drive netted $24,634.58. The ground was broken in March for the new building. The construction was completed in the fall at a total cost of $23,978.81. Fundraising activities were announced in 1954 to cover the expense of operating the facilities. The contributions during the first year were $807.75 with contributions increasing to $905.75 the second year.
The excitement of the adventure continued in 1956 when two-way radios were installed in the ambulances. The Borough of Boyertown established the emergency center which would dispatch both the ambulance and fire companies in a time of emergency. The United Community Chest start to make substantial allocations to fund these operations.
In 1960 and 1965, Pontiac ambulances were purchased to replace the aging fleet costing $9,350 and $9,700 respectively. Then 1967 marked the 25th year of service to the community. The organization responded to 6,179 calls in that time period.
The first Cadillac ambulance was ordered in 1969. It was delivered at a price of $10,570. C. S. Garber & Sons, Inc. would donate a first-aid Sno-Cruser Emergency Unit in 1972.
A second Cadillac was acquired as well at a cost of $14,900. The latest Cadillac would be purchased and placed in service in 1975.
This time, the cost was $18,500.The organization hit another historical mile marker in 1977. This marked 35 years of service. There were 42 active drivers, 555 calls were answered that year, and the cost of the operations was $16,301. In the 35 years of service, 10,791 calls were answered.
The fleet of vehicles continued to age and the Cadillac’s would be replaced by Ford vehicles in 1979 and 1982. The cost of the ambulances and equipment with trade-in was $35,085. The cost of the operation had risen to $23,607.
In 1987, the call volume had increased to 607 in a year. The cost of operations continued to grow to $46,377.88. A new ambulance was purchased in 1987 at a cost of $48,000 with trade-in. In 1991, a new high in call volume was reached, 769 calls.
In 2005, Boyertown Community Ambulance Service decided to take the next step in providing care to the community, by becoming certified as an Advanced Life Support (ALS) organization.
In 2018, the PA Department of Health recognized the Boyertown Lions Community Ambulance Service Inc (now DBA Boyertown Community Ambulance Service) as the Top EMS Agency for its size in Pennsylvania.
Today, the Boyertown Community Ambulance Service is a leader in the field, with services such as advanced cardiac monitoring and telemetry, intravenous drugs and fluids, specialized medications, and advanced airway management. We are recognized as a “Gold Plus”
provider of cardiac care by the American Heart Association. We have a partnership with a mobile stroke unit, able to bring cat scan
capabilities to our patients, right in the field. With this increased level of service, the Boyertown Community Ambulance Service continues to provide the highest level of care possible.
