Altamont Rescue Squad
1937 - 2023
86 Years of Dedicated Service to Our Community
1937 - 2023
86 Years of Dedicated Service to Our Community
Our History
Founded in 1937, the Altamont Rescue Squad was one of the longest-serving volunteer rescue squads in the State of New York. For 86 years, its dedicated members answered the call -day and night, in every season -providing Basic Life Support emergency medical services to the Village of Altamont, portions of the Hilltowns, and the Guilderland Center area.
From its home at 767 Route 146 on Main Street, the Squad served as a lifeline for the community. Its members were a diverse group, ranging in age from 18 to 80, united by a shared commitment to helping their neighbors. Many gave decades of their lives to the organization, building a tradition of excellence in emergency care that touched thousands of families across the region.
By the Numbers
Milestones
What We Provided
Basic Life Support (BLS) emergency medical services, responding to 911 calls around the clock to provide critical pre-hospital care.
Safe, compassionate patient transport to medical facilities, ensuring community members reached the care they needed.
Provided backup coverage to neighboring Guilderland, Rotterdam, and Voorheesville squads, strengthening the regional safety net.
Standby medical services at community events, including the beloved Altamont Fair, keeping attendees safe year after year.
Worked alongside the Town of Guilderland Paramedics, Western Turnpike Rescue Squad, and Altamont Fair EMS to deliver comprehensive care.
The Fleet
2009 Ford E450 / Road Rescue
2009 Ford E450 / Road Rescue - at the station
2013 Chevy / Horton
2006 Ford E450 / Medtec
Ford E450 / Medtec
1983 Ford E350 / McCoy Miller - Altamont Fair Ambulance
Apparatus photographs by Eli Gill / 10-75.net. Used with appreciation.
Community Impact
Altamont Rescue Squad members at Ground Zero, September 2001
The Altamont Rescue Squad was more than an ambulance service -it was a pillar of the community. When the towers fell on September 11, 2001, members of the Squad traveled to Ground Zero to lend their skills and compassion where they were needed most.
That same spirit of selflessness defined the organization every day. Volunteers and staff, some serving for more than 20 years, gave their time freely and without hesitation. They trained relentlessly, responded tirelessly, and cared deeply. The bonds forged on late-night calls and early-morning transports created a family that extended far beyond the walls of the station.
Their legacy lives not in statistics, but in the countless quiet moments of comfort offered to a neighbor in crisis -a steady hand, a reassuring voice, a ride to the hospital when it mattered most.
Their Guiding Principle
The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.
- Mahatma Gandhi
This quote, featured on the Altamont Rescue Squad's own website, captured the ethos that drove its members for 86 years. They were neighbors helping neighbors, volunteers who chose to spend their nights, weekends, and holidays standing ready to answer the call. Their mission was simple and profound: to preserve life, reduce suffering, and serve without expectation of reward.
A Grateful Community
On December 31, 2023, the Altamont Rescue Squad closed its doors after 86 extraordinary years. While a chapter has ended, the legacy of service, sacrifice, and community spirit that defined this organization will endure for generations.
To every volunteer who pulled on a pair of gloves at 3 a.m. To every EMT who held a patient's hand on the ride to the hospital. To the dispatchers, the drivers, the trainers, and the leaders -including Director of Operations Warren Quinn and the many dedicated individuals who kept this organization running across the decades: thank you.
You answered the call, and your community will never forget it.
View the Original Website