EDWARDSBURG — The Edwardsburg Ambulance Service celebrated 50 years of assisting its community with an open house on Saturday afternoon at the Ontwa Township Hall.

The open house went from 1 to 3 p.m. and consisted of an ambulance walkthrough, several displays that depict the progress the service made over the year, two cakes and beverages.

“It’s a very important service for our community, and it has gone through a lot of trials and tribulations, accomplishment, frustrations and battles, which we’ve had our fair share,” said Jackie Tighe, the chairman of the Edwardsburg Ambulance Board. “It all needs to be recognized.”

In the beginning, the ambulance service was run out of a funeral home and its vehicle was a modified hearse, said Tighe. Over the years, the service also used station wagons and vans.

Today, the service utilizes two state-of-the-article vehicles. According to Tighe, it provides a valuable service to the community that brings people closer together.

The paramedics get to know the residents, said Tighe, and they learn how to better assist members of the community. Some of them have been part of the ambulance service since the early 1970s.

“We have a new gentleman [that’s part of the ambulance service], and I told him, ‘welcome to the team,’” Tighe said. “He goes, ‘you mean welcome to the Eddies?’”

Overall, event organizers were pleased with how the community responded to the open house.

“For an impromptu open house, it wasn’t a bad turnout,” said Dennis Closson, the Edwardsburg Ambulance Service administrator. “About 50 people came. I think that’s pretty typical.”

The ambulance service has made significant strides, particularly, in the last few years.

In 2012, the ambulance service purchased its first five-man vehicle, and by today almost its entire crew consists of paramedics. According to Tighe, much of this progress was made due to enacting two millages, which are up for renewal on Aug. 7.

“One if for a half mill and the other is for a quarter mill,” Tighe said. “The half mill is for operations and wages. The quarter mill is to support new ambulances.”

Both millages will appear on resident’s winter property taxes. She said that Closson has done an excellent job managing the ambulance services finances since he took over as administrator.

“50 years is a lot to be proud of, and we’ve come a long way,” she said. “We’ve come from using a hearse all the way up to two state-of-the-art
vehicles.”