In 1938, a resident from Cedar Grove was in need of immediate medical help and, at the time, the only rescue squad available was in Verona. It was in that moment that a group of enterprising Cedar Grove firemen changed the face of their little town. So in May of 1938, the Cedar Grove Rescue Squad was formed with the express purpose of providing emergency medical care and rescue services to those in need. The Rescue Squad was based in Center Fire Company #1 and for thirteen years was the sole provider of emergency medical care for the residents of Cedar Grove. However, that was all to change. In 1951, a dramatic increase in emergency calls caused eight Auxiliary Policemen and eight residents to found the Cedar Grove Ambulance Unit. The Ambulance Unit was based in the Municipal Building. As the town grew over the years, so did the emergency calls. The need for more vehicles, more volunteers, and more space was patent. Thus in 1962, the Ambulance Unit moved to its headquarters at the intersection of Cedar Street and Ridge Road and in 1965, the Rescue Squad moved to its headquarters at Pompton Avenue and Myrtle Avenue. The two organizations worked together to provide emergency care to the residents of Cedar Grove, with the Rescue Squad handling the on-scene work and the Ambulance Unit providing transportation to the hospital. The early eighties would once force a change among the emergency medical workers in Cedar Grove. New state regulations and an even more dramatic increase in emergency calls would cause the Rescue Squad and Ambulance Unit to begin merger negotiations. And in 1982, the Cedar Grove Ambulance and Rescue Squad was born. Today, the Cedar Grove Ambulance and Rescue Squad has over sixty members that handle 1,600 calls a year. We have three ambulances and one heavy-duty rescue truck which is equipped with the latest in rescue and medical equipment, which we use to provide the best possible care to all those in need.
