Halvorson has a passion for cars, antique ambulances
Kurt Halvorson, above, shows off his 1977 Cadillac ambulance following Wednesday’s Faribault Rotary Club meeting. Halvorson, who previously worked for Gold Cross Ambulance, enjoys learning about the history of ambulances and the vehicles used to transport sick and injured patients. His ambulance was originally used in the city of Tracy in western Minnesota. One of the vehicle’s former drivers gave Halvorson his jacket, which Halvorson wore Wednesday, to commemorate their friendship, and shared appreciation for ambulances and their role in society. Also pictured is Natalie Ginter. (Suzanne Rook/southernminn.com)
On September 22, Faribault Rotary Club President-elect Kurt Halvorson gave a presentation on car-based ambulances. Mr. Halvorson also drove his very own ambulance to the meeting for club members to take a look after the luncheon was over.
Mr. Halvorson started the presentation by reminding everyone that ambulances used to be based on cars not on trucks or small vans as they are today. He explained that initially many of the first car-based ambulances actually doubled as hearses. Local funeral homes often would transport sick patients to hospitals and would outfit their hearses with some medical equipment to take care of the patients.
The Vietnam War in the 1960’s changed how ambulances were used in the United States. Policy-makers were unpleasantly surprised when they learned that a battlefield casualty in Vietnam had a better chance of survival than someone injured in the U.S. in an automobile accident. Policies designed to increase the professionalism of ambulance crews came into effect in the expectation they could effectively treat sick or injured patients before they reached a hospital. These new policies resulted in new careers such as Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) and Paramedics.
The Cadillac Car Company in the 1960’s and 70’s produced car chassis’ that could be customized into car-based ambulances by specialized firms. One of the best of these firms was called Superior, which was active in customizing ambulances during the 1970’s.
In the late 1970’s, U.S. car manufacturers decreased the size of their chassis for less weight to realize better fuel economy. The smaller size combined with a desire for more medical capability led to ambulances moving to van or truck mounted versions.
Mr. Halvorson spoke about how he became interested in car-based ambulances, highlighting the impact the movie “Ghost Busters” had on him. As a five-year-old, Mr. Halvorson really liked the car-based ambulance the Ghost Busters used to transport themselves to combat ghosts. His interest in car-based ambulances came to fruition when he bought his ambulance in 2012. The ambulance he bought was used in Tracy, Minnesota for many years.
Mr. Halvorson dedicated his presentation to Mr. Tony Karsmia, who was a long-time funeral director who shared Halvorson’s interest in car-based ambulances.
