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   Remer Area Ambulance Service (RAAS) invites the community to celebrate a very special milestone!

   There was a time when, if you had a medical emergency, you couldn’t simply call 911 and have a trained ambulance crew arrive at your door.

   You survived if a doctor could make a house call and get to you in time, or if someone could drive you to the hospital. In many cases, those providing transportation had no training or equipment to perform life-saving measures along the way.

   According to the stories shared by the early founders of Remer Area Ambulance Service, funeral homes once provided transportation for medical emergencies. Two funeral homes from Grand Rapids would travel to Remer to take patients to the hospital. After a lawsuit somewhere in Minnesota led funeral homes to get out of the medical transportation business, several caring Remer residents decided that our community needed its own ambulance service.

   In 1965, a group of Remer individuals organized and began transporting people to the hospital. These were community-minded people who worked other jobs but were willing to answer the call when their neighbors needed help.

   They acquired an old hearse from a funeral home in Walker and parked it in a garage near the old Remer water tower. With a few supplies on hand, they went around town collecting donations to purchase a resuscitator.

   If you had an emergency, you called a member’s home phone. A crew would respond, provide whatever assistance they could, and transport you to the hospital.

   The service covered Remer, Longville, Boy River, Federal Dam and Outing, with patients transported to hospitals in Brainerd, Deer River, Grand Rapids and Cass Lake.

   In 1976, the State of Minnesota decided that these small, locally organized ambulance services needed to be formally organized and licensed. Remer Area Ambulance Service applied for and received its Minnesota ambulance license.

   What began with a small group of dedicated community members, an old hearse and a donated resuscitator has grown into a highly trained, well-equipped ambulance service with two paid staff members and many dedicated volunteers.

   RAAS is proud of their history and want to celebrate 50 years as a Minnesota-licensed ambulance service, while also recognizing the first 11 years of service provided by the individuals who had the vision to get Remer Area Ambulance Service started.

   All are welcome to join for the 50th anniversary open house, which will be held on September 6 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 401 Industrial Ave., Remer (Behind the Remer City Offices).

   The open house will coincide with the Remer Fire Department pancake breakfast, so come enjoy breakfast and stop by to celebrate this important part of Remer’s history.

   RAAS will be serving cupcakes, cookies, coffee, water and juice. They will also be conducting blood pressure checks — and cards to record your readings. Decorating the event will be historical photographs from the early days of the service.

   Remer Area Ambulance Service is proud of where we came from, grateful for where we are today, and honored to continue serving our community.

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