Courtesy Mike Zito

The City of New Orleans Police Department began its ambulance service during the 1950's during an era when the Charity Hospital of Louisiana only operated a few ambulances and the remainder was mostly provided by area funeral homes. During the 60's, the New Orleans Fire Department operated one station wagon ambulance from Station #1 on Decatur Street in the French Quarter which also responded to all working fires.

By the 70's, The New Orleans Police Department were using White over Blue Chevrolet low-roof suburban trucks which were manned by two sworn and armed police officers who wore tan shirts and pants with the regular department issued badge, patches and duty gun belt. During the 50's and 60's the station wagons and panel trucks carried a resuscitator, first aid kit splints and backboards. However, by the early 70's, the NOPD suburban ambulances carried a full range of basic EMT equipment including scoop stretchers, demand-valve, airways, ambu-bag, spine boards and other basic evolving equipment of that era. The NOPD ambulances were called "crash trucks" due to the fact that they responded on all vehicle accident calls and other trauma emergencies including shootings, stabbings and assaults. These units were later called "Emergency Units" or "E Units." The vehicles also responded to all "crisis" (mental illness) throughout the city. Training in the 50's and 60's was mostly the Red Cross Advanced First Aid course and vehicle victim rescue. By the mid 70's, all NOPD officers were required to complete the basic 81 hour EMT course.

Photo:PARAMEDICS International

All NOPD ambulances were a component of the NOPD Emergency Services Section (ESS) which also included a fully equipped rescue truck for vehicle extrications and a Special Weapons & tactics (SWAT) vehicle. The ESS had been modeled after the City of New York Police Department-Emergency Service Unit where they operated BLS first responder non-transport utility trucks instead of ambulances with a heavy rescue/SWAT vehicle on stand-by at all times. Throughout the 60's and 70's, NOPD maintained its operations base in City Park which housed both the rescue and SWAT truck. Two NOPD Emergency Units were assigned to the Downtown Area, one in City Park/Lakefront, one in the Uptown (St.Charles/Carrollton District), one in the Gentilly area, one in New Orleans East and one across the Mississippi River in Algiers.

Photo: PARAMEDICS International

By the late 70's, the NOPD ESS had been trained and equipped as paramedic units under the medical direction of Dr. Norm McSwain and the Tulane Medical Center. The vehicles were either Type III modular or Collins Industries Type II van ambulance vehicles. By the early 1980's, the NOPD starting employing non-law enforcement civilian paramedics who wore the same police uniform, but were not armed. Each civilian paramedic was paired with an armed NOPD police officer on "Emergency Units." During the early 70's, the NOPD received back-up support from both Charity Hospital EMS, the Mississippi River Bridge  Authority Police Ambulance Unit, the New Orleans Fire department and the New Orleans Health Corporation (NOHC) which was a Federal funded inner city health program for the disadvantaged which also operated two 1971 modular vehicles with basic EMT's. In the 80's, the NOPD ambulance service was reassigned to the New Orleans Health Department and later became the New Orleans Emergency Medical Service (NOEMS) during the late 90's.