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The History of ambulance service in the United States of America has been recorded for over 100 years. The first real uses of ambulances came to be during the U.S. Civil War in the 1860's. Prior to then it was a horse and wagon; whereever it might be found, Funeral Directors entered the ambulance service business simply because they had a vehicle that could transport a patient on a stretcher. Early motorized ambulances began appearing about 1910. My step dad began driving an ambulance in Houston for Vogel-West Funeral Home in 1948 when he came to Houston to go to mortician's school. I was raised as a child living with with my mon and step dad, Bennie D. Wilson. He was a licensed embalmer/funeral director/ambulance driver. We lived in Monroe, Louisiana. I was born in the late 40's. I was raised as a child usually with an ambulance parked in front of the house. Even the front line hearse was used as a ambulance when events required it's use. The funeral home always had one front line ambulance. Mostly the were station wagons with a jump seat and stretcher. They were always fast, and had either a B&M Super Chief Siren or a Federal Q2B. In 1965 a electronic siren was added to the 1964 Mercury Station Wagon Ambulance. In 1966 the funeral homes quit the ambulance service business. From 1966-1972 private ambulance companies served the area. In 1968 and 1969 I operated Ouachita Ambulance.(About 1970 the Vietnam war was in full swing, and seen on TV every day. The first "paramedics" were seen then saving the lives of injured soldiers using many techniques not used here in the USA. Many people asked why we did not have this level of care in the USA. By the late 70's & early 80's true paramedic level EMS had arrived in a few places across the USA. See photos of 1981 for photos of LAFD paramedics answering alarm. They were one of the first true EMS systems in the USA. I sold the company in 1970 and then went to Lake Village , Arkansas where I operated the Chicot County Ambulance Service for the county. I finally ended up in the Freeport, Texas area after purchasing Brazosport Ambulance Service. I operated there and entered into the Houston market in 1980. I sold my Houston Company in 1994, and the operated a transfer service in San Antonio for 3 years. I ended my EMS career after 28 years, and after making 1000's of ambulance calls of every type and deescription. I have a bunch of war stories. I enjoy meeting EMS folks from all over. Over the years I was a member of the American Ambulance Association, Texas Ambulance Association, Texas Association of EMTs, Texas RAC-Houston, American Paramedic Association, and The Greater Houston EMS Council. I am now serving in the Ministry as an staff minister with the Houston Minister's Referral Service, and own a auto export business. I hope all that visit this website will find the hours I put into it over the years to be worth while. I do the best I can in maintaining this site. If you see of find a mistake or a link is broke, please let me know. Opinions or suggestions welcome. Send your photos to be posted & seen by thousands. Thanks for your visit.

Tex Bernhardt