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History

ECA is proud of its community and heritage, understanding its role in providing life saving emergency medical services; as well as dependable and necessary routine transportation services to Escalon and its surrounding communities.

ECA owns and operates four ambulances, three of which are fully Advanced Life Support (ALS) equipped, one that is equipped for Basic Life Support (BLS) operations, and one ALS equipped support vehicle.

ECA started in 1961 by a group of concerned local citizens who banded together, raised the needed money to buy an ambulance and staffed it with the local reserve police officers. Les Prater, a local farmer, used money donated in the name of his late mother to help get the ball rolling; while Walt Hogan (of Hogan Mfg) and the Gonzalez families organized fund raisers. In 1961 a little blue ticket was sold to the public making each family a member of the organization and effectively giving them a stake in the survival of ECA. That membership has grown to over one thousand households and remains an important part of the success of ECA.

ECA was totally staffed by volunteers until 1987 when the then Board of Directors hired their first full time Chief. In the years following, the service has grown to twenty three career and reserve EMT’s and Paramedics.

ECA was formerly housed out of a garage located at Pioneer Hospital until the late seventies. That garage was purchased and erected by the Escalon Lions Club. In 1992 ECA Escalonians Clark and Mildred Swanson donated property located at 1480 Ullrey Ave. Mark Hogan of Hogan Mfg provided the needed steel to build a facility that included ambulances bays, office and sleeping quarters for future staffing and a training room. Due to the generosity of the Community of Escalon, the Lions Club and Hogan Mfg, ECA was able to pay off the facility debt within two years!



 

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