The History of Waunakee Area EMS
Waunakee Area EMS is proud of our history and how we’ve continually grown, expanded and evolved to keep the communities we serve as safe, strong and healthy as possible.
1977
Village of Waunakee Board President Ann Helt, at a meeting pertaining to emergency medical services in Dane County, asked if the County would provide an ambulance for Waunakee if we could provide staff for this new district. The answer was yes. From there, Ann worked with Bob Brunning from the Dane County Emergency Board to create this EMS district. With the help of Marvin Anderson, Ann drew a map for the district which included Waunakee, Westport, Dane, Vienna and Springfield.
George Kolb, a Waunakee resident, was asked to help organize and develop the EMS. He obliged stating that someday “my wife may need emergency medical care during a complicated pregnancy and I want to do know to do if the need should arise.” George became the first EMS director.
1979
The EMS District was chartered with these signers from each community:
Ann Helt, Village of Waunakee
Lawrence Kalscheur, Village of Dane
Bernard Kennedy, Town of Westport
Robert Pulvermacher, Town of Vienna
Robert Lee, Town of Dane
Leonard Meier, Town of Springfield
1979-1980
Upon its founding, the WAEMS operated out of the Kobriger building on 808 South Division Street. Curtains between cots provided members with a place to sleep while on duty. Members later recalled sharing their accommodations – and their popcorn – with mice.
The first ambulance was a van furnished with very simple equipment needed to provide basic emergency services to patients.
1981
A new EMS building was dedicated on North Klein Drive. Dorm rooms with two beds each and a training room with a kitchenette provided comfort as well as a needed training area.
1990
Through community fundraising efforts, WAEMS’s first heart defibrillator units were purchased.
Late 1990s
WAEMS began our involvement in auto crash simulations, educating area high school students about the perils of drinking and driving.
2001-2002
WAEMS received the Robert L. Brunning Dane County Service of the Year Award and the Wisconsin Service of the Year Award. In addition, we piloted a state program: the electronic transmission of EKGs from the field to the hospital. The following year, our service became an IV-Tech service.
2008
For the second time, WAEMS received the Robert L. Brunning Dane County Service of the Year Award.
2011
As Waunakee grew, so did the WAEMS. In 2011, the EMS station was remodeled to update existing facilities and add space and then rededicated.
2015 - 2016
Waunakee Area EMS hired the first Full Time Service Director who led the department to hiring our first three paid full-time employees in 2016.
2020 - 2022
2020 was the arguably the biggest year for Waunakee Area EMS. In June of 2020, we added three additional full-time employees. This brought the total number of full time employees to six. With these six employees and a strong roster of part-time employees and volunteers, Waunakee Area EMS increased our level of service to the paramedic level. We spent the next couple of years sending our employees and many volunteers through the paramedic training.
2023 - present
February of 2023 we hired six additional paramedics to staff a second full-time ambulance that allowed us to efficiently serve our communities amidst growth that saw our services being stretched past the limits. These two staffed, dual-paramedic, ambulances provide the model that we still operate with today, responding to over 2,000 calls annually.