March 28, 2023 – Ambulances

It was on this day in 1866 that the first ambulance service in the U.S. started going to the aid of patients in Cincinnati, Ohio! Different forms of ambulances have been in use since ancient times, with the first being used for emergency transport by the Spanish in 1487. Huge advances in emergency medical care were made during the Civil War. Union military doctors designed a prehospital care system for soldiers, using ambulances and trained stretcher bearers to evacuate the wounded from the battlefield as quickly as possible. More advances came in the late 19th century as the automobile was being developed. The first mass-produced automobile-based ambulance was produced right here in Rochester by the James Cunningham, Son & Company! Today, over 70,000 emergency vehicles respond to around 37 million emergency calls each year. Learn more here.