SOUTH COUNTRY AMBULANCE COMPANY

 

 

For more than eighty-six years, the organization today known as South Country Ambulance
has provided emergency medical services to the communities of the South Shore of Brookhaven
Town. What began in 1940 with six volunteers, an $84 used ambulance, and a determination to
provide a needed service has grown into a New York State-certified Paramedic-level emergency
medical organization responding to more than 4,000 alarms each year.

Throughout that history, the equipment, medicine, technology, buildings, and communities have
changed dramatically. The underlying mission, however, has remained remarkably constant:
Neighbor Helping Neighbor.

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The Beginning

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The history of South Country Ambulance begins with the Brookhaven Fire Company. At a
regular monthly meeting in 1940, six men—Alex Kosenkraneus, Charles Waldron, Richard
Lyons, Robert Lyons Jr., James Kinsella, and John Kulick—were authorized to explore the
establishment of an ambulance service for the community.

The committee located a 1929 Kissel ambulance formerly used by Greenport Hospital. When the
Fire District declined to approve the $84 needed to purchase it, Robert Lyons Jr. made a motion
to raise the money from the members themselves. The members present contributed the
necessary funds, the ambulance was purchased, and on June 9, 1940, the Brookhaven
Ambulance Company was formed.

The founders soon concluded that the community could best be served by an ambulance
organization independent of the fire company. On July 2, 1940, incorporation papers were filed
with New York State establishing the Brookhaven Ambulance Company, Inc. Alex
Kosenkraneus served as its first president, James Kinsella as secretary, and John Kulak as
treasurer. Douglas E. Brown of Bellport served as corporation attorney, while Dr. Jones of
Center Moriches and Dr. Horristein of Bellport assisted with First Aid instruction.

The young organization did not have a headquarters. Its ambulance was stored at Alex
Kosenkraneus'; gas station on South Country Road, and meetings were held at the Brookhaven
firehouse.

Ambulance service was scarce in eastern and central Suffolk County at the time. With the nearest
other services operating from Patchogue and East Moriches, Brookhaven Ambulance assumed

responsibility for a large territory that included Brookhaven, Bellport, Hagerman, East
Patchogue, and Yaphank.

The company's first ambulance call came on July 17, 1940, when a patient from Brentwood
attending a firemen's tournament in Patchogue was transported home. Funding came largely
from community support, including annual $2 family subscription tickets.

 

Establishing a Community Institution

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Brookhaven Ambulance gradually became much more than a means of transporting patients.
After fire destroyed the Brookhaven firehouse in 1945, company meetings temporarily moved to
Brookhaven Elementary School. When a new firehouse opened on Montauk Highway in 1946,
the Fire Commissioners invited the ambulance company to house its ambulance there.

In 1948, the original Kissel was retired and replaced with a 1938 LaSalle purchased from
Patchogue Ambulance Company for $1,000. That same year, Frank Champlain established the
Brookhaven Village Blood Bank with the ambulance company as its sponsor, helping ensure that
local residents had access to blood when it was medically necessary.

A new Cadillac ambulance was purchased in 1954. As emergency calls increased, however,
Brookhaven could no longer effectively cover its entire original territory. In January 1955,
coverage of Bellport was relinquished, and the Bellport Ambulance Company was organized to
serve Bellport and part of East Patchogue.

Communications also began improving. A radio installed in the ambulance in 1955 allowed
direct communication throughout Suffolk County, and mutual-aid arrangements developed
among Brookhaven, Bellport, East Moriches, and Mastic Beach.

The opening of Brookhaven Memorial Hospital in 1956 was another major development.
Local patients no longer routinely required lengthy transports to hospitals in Port Jefferson or
Bay Shore.

Community service continued to expand beyond emergency calls. In 1958, a hospital bed
donated in memory of Frank Champlain became the beginning of the company's medical-
equipment loan program. Over time, wheelchairs, walkers, and other equipment were made
available to residents in need.

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The Development of Modern EMS

The 1960s and 1970s brought profound changes to ambulance service.

Increasing call volume forced Brookhaven Ambulance to relinquish primary emergency
coverage of Yaphank in 1961. That same year, company representatives participated in the
creation of the Brookhaven Town Ambulance Association, an early effort to coordinate the many
volunteer ambulance organizations operating throughout the town.

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The Bellport High School fire in March 1963 demonstrated the importance of coordinated
emergency planning. Brookhaven Ambulance was among the first agencies on scene, and
difficulties involving the movement and hospital reception of multiple patients led to discussions
throughout Brookhaven Town about improving mass-casualty procedures.

In 1964, a new International ambulance was purchased from Brookhaven Garage for $6,456.28
through the generosity of Mrs. Elizabeth Morrow. Other residents similarly supported the
organization with donations of equipment and supplies.

By this time, members had begun discussing the need for a permanent headquarters of their own.
Property on Seeley Street was purchased from Walter Zukowski in 1968 for $4,000.

On April 13, 1969, President Murray Fink broke ground for the new headquarters. The building
itself became a testament to volunteerism. Community residents contributed resources, while
company members donated countless hours of labor, frequently working weekends to complete
the building and landscaping.

On June 14, 1970, the new Brookhaven Ambulance Company headquarters at 32 Seeley Street
was formally dedicated.

After thirty years, the organization finally had a home of its own.

At nearly the same time, ambulance care was evolving into the profession now recognized as
Emergency Medical Services. EMT training became available through Suffolk County
Community College, and Michael Fink became Brookhaven Ambulance Company's first
Emergency Medical Technician.

New countywide alerting systems, 911, MedCom dispatching, formal EMT education, Advanced
Life Support, and portable pagers followed during the 1970s. Brookhaven's first female member,
Dot Trigg, joined the company in 1973.

The era of telephone chains and basic transportation was disappearing. Ambulance crews were
becoming trained emergency medical professionals capable of bringing increasingly
sophisticated treatment directly to the patient.

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A Stable Foundation for the Future

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As the complexity and cost of emergency medical care increased, operating exclusively on
donations became increasingly difficult.

Beginning in 1978, Brookhaven Town Ambulance Association President Murray Fink worked
with State Senator Kenneth LaValle and Assemblyman William Bianchi on legislation allowing
the creation of ambulance tax districts. Governor Hugh Carey signed the legislation into law later
that year.

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Brookhaven Ambulance subsequently pursued district funding, preparing an initial budget of
approximately $32,000.

The organization became a New York State-certified ambulance service in June 1981, and
Advanced Life Support equipment entered service that September. On October 5, 1981,
Brookhaven Ambulance officially began operating with ambulance-district funding.

The new financial structure provided a stable foundation while preserving the volunteer
organization responsible for providing the service.

Throughout the 1980s the company continued to modernize. New ambulances were purchased,
the headquarters was expanded, training increased, and night and weekend crews became an
established part of operations.

By 1990, emergency volume had increased enough that Brookhaven maintained two
ambulances for the first time in its history. A daytime employee was also added to maintain
apparatus and facilities and assist with emergency responses.

That June, Brookhaven Ambulance celebrated its 50th Anniversary and adopted a phrase that
captured the spirit of its first half-century:

Neighbor Helping Neighbor.

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The Paramedic and Special Operations Era

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Emergency medicine advanced rapidly during the 1990s.

When Stony Brook University Hospital began offering New York State Paramedic education in
1992, Gregory C. Miglino Jr. became the first Brookhaven Ambulance Company member
to graduate from the program as a Paramedic.

The organization also recognized the value of placing an advanced medical provider at the
patient's side as quickly as possible. In 1993, a Jeep Cherokee became Brookhaven's first
dedicated First Responder vehicle, allowing an EMT or Advanced Life Support provider to reach
an emergency ahead of the ambulance and immediately begin treatment.

During this period, Brookhaven Ambulance increasingly expanded beyond traditional ambulance
operations. Bicycle response capabilities were established, and in 1997 a 22-foot rescue boat was
placed into service for emergencies on the Carmans River, Bellport Bay, and surrounding
waterways. Members received water-rescue training, and all-terrain vehicles were later obtained
for emergencies in parks, beaches, wooded areas, and other locations inaccessible to
conventional ambulances.

These programs laid the foundation for today's South Country Ambulance Special Operations
capabilities.

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The organization was also called upon during some of Long Island's largest emergencies.
Brookhaven personnel responded during the 1995 wildfires, including the massive Sunrise Fire
in Westhampton. In July 1996, members responded as part of the enormous regional emergency
operation following the explosion of TWA Flight 800 off Long Island.

 

The Formation of South Country Ambulance

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By the end of the 1990s, Brookhaven, Bellport, and Hagerman were confronting many of the
same challenges: rising call volume, increasingly sophisticated medical requirements, higher
equipment costs, and the difficulty of maintaining adequate emergency coverage around the
clock.

The answer was consolidation.

In 2000, the operations of the Brookhaven Ambulance Company, Bellport Ambulance
Company, and Hagerman Rescue Squad were combined to create what became South
Country Ambulance.

The consolidation brought much of the territory originally served by Brookhaven Ambulance in
1940 back under a unified EMS organization.

The legal corporation continued as Brookhaven Ambulance Company, Inc., doing business as
South Country Ambulance, preserving the direct institutional connection to the organization
incorporated in 1940. The historic property at 32 Seeley Street became headquarters for the
combined service.

The merger marked the beginning of a new chapter, but not the end of the Brookhaven
Ambulance Company's history. Rather, South Country Ambulance became the continuation of
that history on a larger scale.

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September 11 and Service Beyond the District

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Barely a year after consolidation, South Country Ambulance faced one of the most consequential
emergencies in American history.

Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, South Country mobilized personnel and
equipment for New York City. Members deployed in support of the emergency response at
Ground Zero, where South Country personnel and apparatus remained on duty for three days.

The deployment demonstrated how far the organization had evolved. The small ambulance
company created in Brookhaven Village sixty-one years earlier was now capable of contributing
trained personnel, Advanced Life Support resources, vehicles, and logistical support to one of the
largest emergency operations in the nation's history.

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South Country's service has subsequently extended to other major emergencies, including
Hurricane Katrina, major New York State flooding, hurricanes and coastal storms,
regional wildfires, water emergencies, and mass-casualty incidents.

The organization received significant recognition for its service, including Suffolk County EMS
Agency of the Year honors and recognition as New York State EMS Agency of the Year in
2001.

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South Country in the Twenty-First Century

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The modern South Country Ambulance bears little physical resemblance to the organization
created in 1940.

It has developed into a Paramedic-level emergency medical service with capabilities extending
far beyond the traditional ambulance. Its personnel can respond using ambulances and Advanced
Life Support First Responder vehicles while also deploying boats, bicycles, all-terrain vehicles,
drones, and specialized equipment when conventional vehicles cannot reach a patient.

A dedicated Special Operations capability allows the organization to support major incidents,
search-and-rescue operations, mass-casualty emergencies, and other specialized missions.

Equally important has been the emphasis on preventing emergencies before they happen.
Community education has expanded to include CPR instruction, AED programs, school
programs, and public outreach based on a simple belief: the best EMS call is the one that never
has to occur.

The organization's physical facilities have evolved as well. The headquarters constructed largely
through volunteer labor beginning in 1969 eventually became inadequate for the size and
complexity of the modern organization. Construction of a new Station 1 began in 2018, and the
facility entered service in October 2019, beginning another generation of service from the
Seeley Street property.

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Meeting the Challenges of Today

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The COVID-19 pandemic presented South Country with one of the longest sustained
emergencies in its history. Unlike a fire, hurricane, plane crash, or mass-casualty incident, the
pandemic required EMS personnel to operate for months and years in an environment involving
infectious-disease exposure, changing medical protocols, personal protective equipment, and
unprecedented pressure on hospitals and emergency services.

South Country continued answering its community's calls throughout the emergency.

In the years since the pandemic, annual call volume has approached or exceeded 4,000 alarms.
The organization responded to 3,973 alarms in 2022, 4,176 in 2023, 4,242 in 2024, and 4,306
in 2025.

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Those numbers stand in remarkable contrast to the handful of calls handled during the company's
earliest days.

Today, South Country serves a diverse district of approximately 22 square miles with extensive
waterways and a combination of residential, commercial, governmental, educational, industrial,
park, and wilderness properties. Its responsibilities include thousands of homes as well as
schools, major public facilities, parks, waterways, and other locations that create unique
emergency-response challenges.

To meet those responsibilities, the organization is led by its officers and supported by more than
one hundred volunteers serving in a variety of operational and support positions.

Despite handling thousands of alarms each year, South Country has maintained a tradition of
extraordinary response reliability. According to department records, the organization has not
failed to respond to an emergency within its district since November 1994, a record extending
more than thirty years.

Since the creation of South Country Ambulance, the organization has answered more than
82,000 alarms.

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Eighty-Six Years of Neighbor Helping Neighbor

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The history of Brookhaven Ambulance Company and South Country Ambulance is ultimately
not a history of vehicles, buildings, radios, or medical equipment.

It is a history of people.

It began when six men recognized that their community needed an ambulance. When funding
was unavailable, members reached into their own pockets and collected $84. When there was no
headquarters, the ambulance was stored at a local gas station. When residents needed blood,
members helped create a blood bank. When people needed medical equipment, the company
loaned it to them. When a headquarters was needed, volunteers helped build it themselves.

As medicine advanced, members became EMTs, Advanced EMTs, and Paramedics. When
patients could not be reached by ambulance, the organization developed marine, bicycle, and all-
terrain capabilities. When neighboring ambulance organizations realized they could provide
better service together, they combined their resources. When New York City was attacked on
September 11, South Country answered the call. When disasters struck elsewhere, members went
to help. When a pandemic threatened the community, they continued responding.

From an $84 used ambulance in 1940 to a modern Paramedic-level emergency medical and
Special Operations organization answering more than 4,300 alarms annually, the organization
has continuously adapted to meet the needs of the people it serves.

The ambulances have changed. Medicine has changed. The radios, uniforms, equipment, and
buildings have changed.

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But the principle established by the founders in 1940 has endured:

Neighbor Helping Neighbor.

For eighty-six years, generations of members of Brookhaven Ambulance Company and South
Country Ambulance have answered when their neighbors called for help.

That is their history.

And that history continues to be written today.