OUR HISTORY

In 1970, John E. “Bud” Doble founded Post 53, modeled after an Explorer Post on Nantucket.

Along with concerned parents, he founded Post 53 to teach young people about the devasting effects of drug and alcohol abuse through direct emergency medical treatment.  One year after starting out as a Boy Scout project and operating out of Bud Doble’s basement, Post 53 was handling 100 calls annually with a budget of $150.  Post 53 quickly progressed from the basement, to the old Noroton Heights train station depot and finally to the current headquarters — a dedicated building at Zero Ledge Road in Darien.

The initial ambulance was a converted telephone truck. Then the Darien Sports Shop donated the first “real” ambulance in 1976.  That same year, Post 53 officially became the “first responders” for the town of Darien and provided Emergency Medical Service from 6 PM to midnight.  By this time, the yearly operating budget had increased to $12,000 and Post 53 was responding to over 250 calls annually.  In 1985, Post 53 was expanded to a 24-hour service by the Town of Darien. 

The fleet eventually expanded to three full-service ambulances and two “flycars”, all donated by generous citizens and businesses of Darien.  In 1989, a new headquarters was constructed for Post 53 to replace the crowded train station and Post 53 volunteers were now responding to over 1000 medical emergencies a year. 

Today, responding to over 1600 calls a year, Post 53 is recognized locally and nationally as one of the finest emergency ambulance services in the United States for its consistently high quality pre-hospital emergency care. Over 1000 Darien High School students have served their community as members of Post 53 since its inception.