MULLEN AMBULANCE SERVICE

Entry T64 from the History of Hooker County Nebraska
with permission of the Hooker County Historical Society

Mullen Ambulances 1988 Left is the new, Right is
the 4 Wheel Drive, Henry Cox E.M.I. crew chief

                    1959-1970

The Mullen Ambulance Service had a very
modest beginning.

In 1959, both Ivan Boyer and Edgar Macke
bought new Rambler Station Wagons. At
that time, Mr. Harry Campbell owned the
Mullen Funeral Home although he lived in
Alliance, Nebraska. Mr. Campbell said that
he needed some one in Mullen to make the
pickups and to make the trips to the country
and assist in many ways to save time and
provide better services to the Patrons in the
Mullen area, and he furnished the Funeral
Home with all of the equipment that would
be needed to provide these services and Ivan
and Ed agreed to take on this job and use the
Station Wagons, as a stretcher or cot would
work very nice in these cars.

Some short time later Dr. Blattspieler and
Dr. Saults approached these people with the
idea of doing some Ambulance work such as
bringing in the sick and injured to the
Sandhills Clinic and the Pioneer Memorial
Hospital and also transporting patients to
larger Hospitals if necessary. Necessary
equipment was provided and stored at the
Pioneer Memorial Hospital, and thus the
Mullen Ambulance Service came into being.

The Mullen Clinic or one of the Doctors
would call whenever an emergency arose, and
the sick or injured would be brought in. Many
times one of the Doctors would accompany
these people if the patient was thought to in
serious condition, as about all of the training
these people had was a first aid course given
by the Red Cross, and it was really a relief to
have a Physician along. In a great many, cases
would have to be transported to Hospitals in
larger places, such as North Platte, Kearney,
Lincoln, Omaha, Scottsbluff and Denver. It
became almost an extra job for only two
people and took an awful lot of time away
from the jobs and businesses of these people,
but there was a lot of satisfaction in knowing
that you might be doing something to help
Friend and Neighbors and also the Commu-
nity.

In 1965, Ed bought a new Ford Station
Wagon as a family car and also to be used in
the ambulance work and also Ivan purchased
a new vehicle.

It was not very successful from a financial
standpoint as a majority of the trips were for
the elderly on Medicare and as the vehicles
did not meet all of the requirements to be
classified as an ambulance by the Govern-
ment, Medicare would not pay anthhing for
them and as almost all of the older people
were not financially able to pay for the
service, an awful lot of these trips were made
for free.

On the trips where the patient did pay, the
charges were set as $5.00 for a pickup in town
and for trips away from Mullen, the charge
was set at 50 cents per mile one way.

                                by Ed Macke


                    1970-1987

In 1972 the Mullen Rural Fire Protection
District, and the Mullen City Board pur-
chased a G.M.C 4 wheel drive Ambulance
new with the aid of a grant. (First patient was
Ona Walker, the driver was, Ed Macke and
the assistant was Bob Rogers, the doctor
being Dr. Jerry Edelman). For several years
this was the only Ambulance in Mullen. All
drivers and other help was donated by
anyone who was available and were contacted
by phone. A garage was built south east of the
hospital where the Ambulance was housed.

In the late 70's a pontiac Ambulance was
obtained and used for transfers and on the hi-
way. The 4 wheel drive as then used only for
country calls, where 4 wheel drive was
necessary. This ambulance was housed down
town in the city fire house, next to the old
light plant. Also in the late 70's the pager
system was developed and schedules made
out with the pager system being called out
from the hospital. Each volunteer carried a
pager on their turn. By this time several
E.M.T. classes had been held and the state
required that an E.M.T. a nurse or a Dr. must
accompany any patient in the ambulance.

In 1986 a new Ford Ambulance was
purchased, again by the Mullen Rural Fire
Protection District and the City Board. The
Pontiac was given to Seneca to use as it was
not saleable, and Seneca could use it. The
Ambulance house by the hospital was enlar-
ged to the north, with the permission of the
Hospital Board, to house both Ambulances.

In 1987 a new pager system was installed
and several new pagers bought to pass to the
active E.M.T.s. At the present time all
E.M.Ts drivers, Captain and bookkeepers are
still volunteers.

                                 by Lucy Isom