History of EMS in the Westwood Fire Department

In 1969, at the request of the Board of Selectmen, retired Navy Captain George J. Sabbag was appointed chairman of a committee to research the feasibility of assuming responsibility for a town ambulance service to be run by the Westwood Fire Department. After a thorough and exhaustive study, Town Meeting of 1970 approved the plan and the fire department was authorized to purchase an ambulance, train its members, and provide basic life support to the Town of Westwood.

The total amount approved for the project was $15,000, with $7,500 reimbursed by the federal government. Several members received training at Harvard University through a course sponsored by the Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. The ambulance was put in service on Thanksgiving Day, 1970. By the end of the year the Cadillac ambulance responded to 18 calls.

In 2000, the department upgraded to the paramedic level and today, two Advanced Support Ambulances (ALS) are staffed 24/7. Working under the direction of medical control doctors from the Norwood Hospital, these ALS-equipped resources are capable of providing advanced cardiac life support, including defibrillation, cardiac monitoring and external pacing, IV therapy, medication administration, advanced airway and other life-saving procedures.

The department responded to over 2,000 EMS-related calls in 2017 with nearly 1,700 transports to local hospitals and trauma hospitals in Boston.