(below) T. Harry Hoffman & Sons Funeral Home
“In 1939 Harry Hoffman initiated a privately owned and financed ambulance equipped with oxygen to service Dashwood and Grand Bend. In 1965 the service was extended to include Exeter, Centralia and area. Hoffman’s Ambulance Service is the type of family run business that is the backbone of rural Ontario. Founded by father Harry 46 years ago, sons Bob and Jim play an active part in the running of the service.
Elder son, Bob farms and is an ambulance attendant on a part time basis while Jim is involved in ambulances twenty-four hours a day. Jim has been working in his present capacity since he was sixteen. In 1968 Ambulance services came under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Health. All ambulances in the province are owned by the ministry with each ambulance service in Ontario receiving a varying flat rate for the provision of services in their area.
According to Mrs. Harry Hoffman the ambulance service had 1200 patient calls this past year with an average of 75 calls during the summer months and between 50 and 60 calls per month the remainder of the year. Mrs. Hoffman said the number of drug cases has decreased while alcohol related calls remained the same. Ambulance attendants are required in Ontario to take the Emergency Medical Care Attendant course at a community college before they are considered fully qualified.
Hoffman’s who cover an area within 20 miles of Dashwood, on several occasions request backup help from the ambulance services in Zurich, Lucan, Thedford and Parkhill when their two ambulances are out making calls. Hoffman’s do the same for them when their ambulances are out of their territory. There are four full time ambulance attendants, Jim and Bob Hoffman, Ron McLinchey and Jim Lehman. Working part time are Bill Hoffman, Robert Watson, John Campbell and Ken Genttner. The ambulances also meet in Exeter or Clinton with ambulances from the Grey-Bruce area taking their patients to London and returning them to them. We are indeed lucky to have these fine services at hand.”
extracted from “Friedsburg-Dashwood 1860-1985” by Mary (Patterson) Rader, 1985; pg. 70-71, ISBN 0-9692115-0-3