Our History
IT ALL STARTED IN 1954
By this time, Oakland was still considered to be a small suburb. Only two doctors resided in town - Dr. Davey and Dr. Branigan. When a resident became sick or was seriously injured, they had to wait until the Pompton Lakes or Wyckoff ambulance could respond and transport them to Paterson or Bergen Pines. What we now consider to be our local hospitals, Valley and Chilton, were just now coming into being.
During this time, John Walker was a councilman in Oakland. His youngest son, John Robert Walker, had been diagnosed with leukemia, and he required frequent transportation to Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York.
The legacy of the squad emerges from the story of this young boy who fought an uphill battle against his ailment. Although John Robert Walker would tragically lose this fight at the age of nine, his spirit and courage in the face of adversity were turned into a symbol of triumph by his parents. His memory was immortalized by their decision to help others who may one day face life’s most daunting circumstances akin to their own experiences, and thus a vague idea to begin a first aid squad for the town became a concrete reality.
John and Vivian Walker became the catalysts that spurred the creation of our agency today. Their generosity granted us our first equipped ambulance on August 14, 1954, and since then, we have been involved in a dynamic undertaking spanning decades to garner new members and serve the people of Oakland through the microcosm and community that the First Aid Squad has become. Through the efforts of nurses, instructors, and physicians in those first years, laymen and regular residents of this town have stepped up to get trained and prepared to respond to the call for help, witnessing the transformations of the healthcare system to give us the title of Emergency Medical Technician that we know today. Despite not having a formal building until 1956 and being founded in a tumultuous time when changes in culture and technology swept the nation, we have adapted and overcame every challenge to become a modern emergency medical service. From our first bylaws to our first oxygen tank and first defibrillator, we keep the memory of John Robert Walker alive by capitalizing on every opportunity to improve ourselves and to serve those in need.
Today, the Oakland First Aid Squad is embedded in a system encompassing multi agency response, communication, and sophisticated stabilization, treatment, and transportation of patients - all free of charge. Yet with every passing year, our traditions and drive to aid our fellow man become bolder and more pronounced than ever before.
To read the full text on which the above excerpt is based, titled "An Extremely Informal History Of The Oakland First Aid Squad" and compiled by Lila Timpson in August of 1984, please click here
