NEW BERLIN – The New Berlin Fire Department will now offer emergency transportation to local hospitals with the addition of an ambulance and a newly-created emergency management service.

Discussions between the village, the Town of New Berlin and the Town of Columbus in mid-January resulted in the purchase an ambulance. The $127,000 purchase includes a heart monitor upgrade, stretcher and other professional grade equipment.

The emergency managment service carries an estimated annual operational budget of $35,000. Another $5,000 is estimated for supplies and an additional back-up fund containing $3,000 is available for unexpected costs.

Village Mayor Carol Riley, town Supervisor Ross Iannello and Columbus Town Supervisor George Coates, along with councilmen and fire department volunteers representing all three areas, gathered March 7 at the firehouse to celebrate the consolidation.

The New Berlin Fire Department’s history dates back to 1955 when Wesley Aylesworth, Herb Butts, Harry Prentice and Merritt Lloyd started the all-volunteer emergency squad. The EMS service was in place until 1999 when the department changed to the New Berlin First Response EMS unit, primarily due to a shortage of manpower.