The Emergency Squad has been in continuous service to the residents of Owego and, through mutual aid or contract arrangements, all of Tioga County since 1948.  Originally formed within the Owego Fire Department, the Squad’s initial name was “Tioga First Aid Club”.  Presumably its creation was motivated by Civil Defense activity during World War II.  It was the first emergency rescue and ambulance service in Tioga County and at that time served the entire County.  With the advent of other fire-department and service-club based ambulance services the Squad’s name was changed to the Owego Fire Department Emergency Squad and abbreviated with the acronym OFDES.  In early 2019, in order to partially offset the cost of two daytime medics the Village moved the Squad from the Village Fire Department into a Village EMS Department.  The volunteer EMS providers are members of the Owego Emergency Squad, Inc. (OES).  Though somtimes called the Owego Emergency Squad, Owego Ambulance, or Owego EMS, around the Village it is known simply as “the Squad”.

In 1948, The founders of the Squad pooled their personal funds to purchase the first ambulance (a used hearse), equipment (an E&J Resuscitator), and first aid supplies.  The time frame was immediately after World War II, and money was tight; so members of the Squad (and their wives) rolled bandages and made cravats.  Rolled bandages and triangular muslin cravats were the mainstay of first-aid supplies.

The Squad's evolution from an all male organization to one that is gender neutral followed the times and was a driver in moving the parent Fire Department's makeup along the same path.

Since its beginning, the Squad has been a volunteer organization.  While the Village's EMS Department has two full time medics for daytime advanced life support coverage, they are supplemented with OES volunteer drivers and, when needed, substitute volunteer medics.  Evenings and weekends are staffed entirely with unpaid OES volunteers.  They spend many hours at New York State Department of Health required training to become Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) both basic life support (EMT-B (basic)) and advanced life support (EMT-A (advanced), EMT-CC (critical care), and EMT-P (paramedic)).  They achieve the same certification levels as paid professionals and are equally qualified in emergency responses.  If you would like to join us we will train you.

Members of the Squad are on call twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, including weekends and holidays.  Their family lives are frequently interrupted on a moment's notice to respond to an emergency.  They are selfless in their dedication.

The Village's EMS Department's current fleet consists of three type III ambulances and an EASV.