Waterbury Ambulance Service, Inc.

10/30/2026

🚨 Meet Waterbury UTV-1 — our year-round off-road rescue unit!
Equipped with a patient rescue skid, emergency lighting, a winch and a radio, this 2024 Polaris Ranger helps our crews reach and transport injured patients from remote locations, with a provider seated beside them during transport. Wheels for summer and tracks for mud and snow keep it ready across the seasons.

UTV-1 is available to regional mutual aid partners for backcountry rescues, transporting wildfire crews, and emergency response when roads are impassable. This unit is also available for parade patrols and other event coverage!

Our nonprofit invested nearly $18,000 in this community resource. Help support our mission with a tax-deductible donation: https://www.waterburyambulance.org/backcountry-donate.html

🎃 Look for UTV-1 in Waterbury this Halloween as we help keep trick-or-treaters safe!

Shoutout to Roadside Motorsports in Williston for their generosity and assistance replacing our previous 2011 Polaris UTV.

10/29/2026

What a great time we had this weekend!

10/29/2026

At approximately 12:00 (noon) yesterday afternoon, Waterbury Backcountry Rescue Team was dispatched at the request of Vermont State Police to respond to Camels Hump for a deceased subject. The subject was reported to be roughly 1.5 miles up the Forest City trail from the Huntington side of the mountain. Upon coordination with other teams, it was determined that personnel would assemble at the Burrows Trailhead before entering the woods.

Lt. Mattessich on board Utility 1, our backcountry rescue unit, arrived on scene alongside other rescuers from Huntington Search and Rescue and Camels Hump Backcountry Rescue (Richmond Rescue) at 13:38. By 14:02- teams entered the woods with the equipment necessary to conduct a body recovery operation.

By 17:50- the operation was completed without incident. Vermont State Police maintained control of the scene for the duration of the incident. Waterbury Backcountry Rescue supported this operation with four rescuers.

VSP Press Release in comments.

10/28/2026

Waterbury Backcountry Rescue Team personnel are on scene assisting with a recovery operation on Camel’s Hump. The Burrows Trail in Huntington is closed until the operation is complete.

Please avoid the area and follow any posted closures.

Read more from NBC5:
https://www.mynbc5.com/article/first-responders-recover-body-on-camels-hump/74275087?utm_campaign=snd-autopilot&fbclid=IwY2xjawVPNoBleHRuA2FlbQIxMABwZG9mAWJyaWQRMWduYWxMQTlIRzlMNWlkRlJzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEfR8yusFWNGa-sVLEm-dlX50aOs95Anew22qddqAVK25LXLog3pUW_SWPYIjg_aem_P7cDcsebFAW6KBPMeq9kTA

A large contingent of first responders is on the Burrows Trail as crews recover a deceased person. Police say there are no current indications the death is suspicious.

10/28/2026

Attention EMS/Fire/PD Partners. We have started a collection of department patches and we're looking to swap with you!

WASI recently designated a public-facing wall in our station to hang all of your patches on. We would love to send a patch to whoever sends us one!

You can mail your patch to us:

Waterbury Ambulance Service
Attention: Lt. Huta
49 Demeritt Place
Waterbury, VT 05676

If you'd like a patch in return, please include your mailing address so we can mail one one back to you.

We appreciate your contribution in advance and please help us spread the word by sharing this post!

10/22/2026

We were proud to participate in this important regional training exercise, providing two ambulances as a mutual aid agency. Exercises like this bring together local, state, and federal agencies to strengthen coordination, test emergency response plans, and ensure we're prepared to work together when a real emergency occurs.

In this episode of Dispatches from Vermont, we see the September 20...

10/22/2026

Come by Saturday and say hi!

🚑 Partner Spotlight: Waterbury Ambulance Service!
Since 1971, Waterbury Ambulance has been answering 911 calls for Waterbury, Duxbury and part of Moretown, backed by a dedicated crew of staff and volunteers. They're a nonprofit, they run a backcountry rescue team, and they were named Vermont Ambulance Service of the Year in 2021.
Stop by Saturday to say hi and thank the people who show up on our community's worst days.
📅 Sat 10/24 · 12–4 PM · 📍 802 Cars, Berlin
Ambulance Partnership

10/13/2026

At 1:33 PM Monday afternoon, our Waterbury Backcountry Rescue Team (WBRT) was requested by the Vermont State Police to assist in locating and bringing a party of six who had become lost on Camels Hump out to safety. Using the lost party's cell phone to pinpoint their location, it was determined the six were off the west side of the Long Trail about halfway up the mountain. WBRT coordinated response for this incident with the Huntington Search and Rescue team and the Camels Hump Backcountry Rescue team, Richmond Rescue. It was decided to launch two rescue efforts. One team would proceed up from the Duxbury side via the Monroe Trail. The second team would ascend from the Huntington side via the Forest City Trail.

At 3:00 PM the lost party reported by cell phone that they had found the Forest City trail and would proceed down it in the direction of Huntington. They had reported they were cold, with little food or water. About 20 minutes later, the rescue team hiking up from Huntington found the lost party and guided them safely back to the base.

Rescuers remind hikers to always bring adequate food, clothing, lighting, and water. It gets dark and cold quickly this time of year. Hikers are also reminded to stay on the established trail networks.

10/11/2026

Last evening, the Waterbury Backcountry Rescue Team was activated at 6:35 PM by the Vermont State Police(VSP) to assist with a search for a missing juvenile in the Camels Hump backcountry.

A young girl became separated from her family of five after descending ahead of them from the summit. She inadvertently missed the junction for the Monroe Trail and continued northbound onto the Bamforth Ridge/Long Trail. As daylight faded, she became stranded just off the trail by the sudden darkness.

A coordinated response brought together approximately 17 rescuers from Waterbury Backcountry Rescue, Camels Hump Backcountry Rescue, and Huntington Search and Rescue, alongside VSP personnel. Teams entered the woods from multiple points to surround the missing subject.

At 7:33 PM, Waterbury Backcountry Rescue Captain LaRose heard rustling 20 to 30 yards off the trail, called out, and successfully located the girl. She was uninjured, equipped with a headlamp, and safely es**rted down to be reunited with her family before 8:00 PM.

Rescuers maintained cell contact with the father, who was still high on the mountain attempting a descent. Two members of the Camels Hump team ascended to intercept him at 9:22 PM, ensuring his safe es**rt back to the base by 11:00 PM. All units were clear of the incident at 11:17 PM.

This incident serves as a critical reminder of how rapidly trail conditions change when darkness falls. Hikers are strongly encouraged to carry reliable illumination (such as headlamps), remain grouped at major trail junctions, and stay in place if lost or trapped by darkness.

We extend our sincere gratitude to all mutual aid partners for a seamless, highly efficient operation that resulted in a safe outcome for the entire family. Shout out to VSP for smooth overall coordination of this incident.

VSP Press Release: https://vtstatepolice.blogspot.com/2026/10/berlin-barracks-lost-hiker.html?m=1

10/05/2026

Just before 13:30 yesterday afternoon, rescuers from our Waterbury Backcountry Rescue Team and Worcester Volunteer Fire & Rescue were called out on a report of a 47-year-old female hiker near the summit of Hunger Mountain with an ankle injury.

Less than one hour later, our team established a base in Middlesex at the bottom of the Hayward Trail and sent its first team with rescue gear up the mountain. With assistance from Worcester Rescue, our team sent 15 members up the trail. Descending hikers confirmed the injured person was "near the top" but trying to walk with help.

At 15:30, the first rescue team found the patient, and Waterbury EMTs administered medical care. With the sun setting and temperatures dropping, rescuers assisted the hiker to slowly walk down the trail under her own power. The descent took about one hour with the final distance being covered with the hiker carried in a Stokes litter.

Despite the late hour, and throughout the rescue, unprepared hikers were encountered as they began their hikes in the late afternoon. Our team cautions hikers to always prepare for emergencies.
https://www.waterburyambulance.org/backcountry.html