Wilton’s Ambulance Corps Hopes for HQ Upgrades as New Volunteers Join its Life-Saving Team

There are lots of opportunities for Wilton residents to step forward and volunteer — civic organizations, school and sports groups, municipal government and more all function because people give off their time to make sure they can. But there’s another group of people who have volunteered to truly help their neighbor in a way that saves lives by joining the Wilton Volunteer Ambulance Corps.

Today, Monday, Oct. 2, WVAC is starting one of its EMT state licensing course. Just this past week the class filled as 20 area residents age 15 and up made the commitment in order to ultimately serve the town as part of its life-saving first-responder force.

“We as an organization primarily run this class to attract members,” said WVAC President John Miscioscia, who has served with the team for 11 years.

“We’re looking to attract all kinds of members,” he said, noting that while high school students are very welcome to take part, there’s always a hope for older participants from town who may remain active with the group for years to come and not be limited by certain restrictions, such as not being allowed to be on duty at midnight if you’re under age 18.

Beginning service in 1977, the largely self-supporting WVAC responded to 1,689 calls last year, not including mutual aid calls with other towns. They currently have close to 60 volunteer members taking part, as well as some paid professionals who fill the gaps went volunteers are unavailable.

“I very much enjoy working here,” said Linda Soltis, a Wilton resident who herself was once a patient treated by the WVAC force during an emergency.

“I was so grateful for getting the help and I thought it would be something to give back to the community,” she said, taking her EMT licensing class in 2020.

WVAC Volunteers Hope for HQ Upgrades

Like others who spend a great deal of time volunteering at the facility situated behind the Wilton Police Department at the back of Wilton’s Town Hall complex, Soltis is hopeful that eventually WVAC’s home will get some upgrades.

“It would be great to have a training room, to have some more space,” she said, as well as ideally having the headquarters in a more practical proximity to the ambulances that wouldn’t require a trip down a steep hill, especially with inclement weather.

The fragile quonset hut that currently serves as a garage for the emergency vehicles was built in 1982 as a temporary solution, according to Betsy Wallon, treasurer for WVAC.

“We have to keep our second ambulance down at the firehouse,” she said, noting other aging aspects of the facility, such as a somewhat obsolete kitchen and grungy laundry facilities in the basement.

In June Wallon took part in a presentation to the Board of Selectmen outlining WVAC’s history and explaining their needs. Having just approved construction of the new police headquarters, however, at this time it’s unlikely the town will be ready to get involved in a major construction project, even if WVAC brings in its own funding.

“We’re planning to fund it ourselves,” Wallon said. “It probably will cost between two and $3 million.”

WVAC and the Town of Wilton

The corps currently leases the aging yellow house atop the hill at the back of the Town Hall complex from the town for one dollar a year, but is responsible for upkeep, as well as the greater part of the WVAC operations. Miscioscia said about $100,000 a year is received from the town but it costs about $650,000 annually to run things, with those funds coming strictly through fees for ambulance trips and donations.

“The want of a building has been going on for a long time. It’s just gotten serious over the last two years,” he said, explaining that the group doesn’t want to aggressively start soliciting funding until the town is ready to do its part with permits and permissions.

Meanwhile the corps continues its work, saving lives and checking physical trauma in people on a daily basis.

“Serving the community in the capacity of an emergency medical service can be very gratifying,” Miscioscia said. “It’s hard but it’s a very rewarding job, and it’s like a second family.”

While it’s too late for people to join that team for this training course go-round, anyone thinking about it for future sessions can visit the WVAC website.

“This is a five-month course where people are gonna be in the classroom between 180 and 200 hours, and then they’re going to take a test,” Miscioscia said, for state certification.

“If you become a member and complete certain requirements,” he said, “we will reimburse you for the fee.”