Westport Volunteer Emergency Medical Service Receives $300,000 Grant

WESTPORT, CT — The Westport Volunteer Emergency Medical Service (WVEMS) received a grant for a total of $300,000 to purchase a new ambulance for the Westport Emergency Medical Service.

According to a news release, this grant is comprised of $150,000 from the Westport Woman’s Club and an additional $150,000 from an anonymous member of the club.

This grant will be used to replace one of Westport’s three ambulances. The cost of an ambulance has risen substantially from eight years ago when they last purchased an ambulance.

According to WVEMS, the cost has risen over 65 percent due to inflation and supply chain issues that are plaguing the world due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

"This grant shows what a wonderful community we live in," WVEMS president Michael Burns said in a news release. "When we put the word out to the community that we needed to replace our ambulances, the community responded with the Westport Women’s Club leading the way. It has been truly astounding. We want to thank both the Westport Woman’s Club and their anonymous donor for their extraordinary support."

Westport Volunteer Emergency Medical Services dedicates itself to saving lives and providing first class pre-hospital emergency care for all who live, work, or pass through Westport, according to WVEMS.

The organization's corps of dedicated volunteers work alongside seven town employees to respond to all medical emergencies 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

"The Westport Woman’s Club is delighted that we could make this donation to such an important service for the people Westport," Donna Richardson, chairperson of the Westport Woman’s Club Community Services, said in a news release.

Westport Volunteer Emergency Medical Service is a non-profit, tax-exempt, charitable organization founded in 1979 that serves the Westport, Connecticut community and its nearly 30,000 residents, hundreds of businesses, and some of the busiest roadways and passenger railroads in the country.

Each year WVEMS volunteers give over 15,000 hours of their time to respond to nearly 2500 emergency medical calls as well as train over 2,000 in CPR, Stop The Bleed, EMR and EMT classes from their downtown headquarters. The organization relies on tax deductible donations to buy all of the needed equipment and supplies from band-aids to the ambulances themselves, according to WVEMS.

This article originally appeared on the Westport Patch