Hereford Volunteer Ambulance Association Inc. (HVAA) DBA Monkton Volunteer Emergency Medical Services (MVEMS), has been providing emergency services to the residents of northern Baltimore County since 1952. Founded as the First-Aid Division of Hereford Volunteer Fire Company (HVFC), our founding members spun off from HVFC in October 1953 and created the Hereford Volunteer Ambulance Association (HVAA). Since that time, there have been many changes. When we began, our nearest hospital was Union Memorial Hospital located at Calvert and 33rd Streets in Baltimore City. Interstate 83 and the Beltway had not been built yet, so it was a long trip. Early care providers had only first aid training, and the goal of early ambulance services was to get the patient in the ambulance and speed down the road as quickly as possible. As the years passed, St. Joseph Medical Center, GBMC, and the interstate highways were built. The level of training and certification also saw a dramatic increase. These advances allowed us to provide better patient care and get the patient to the hospital more safely.
During the early years, the Company’s quarters were a small one bay building next to the present Hereford Volunteer Fire Company (West of Firehouse Road, where the Hereford Faith and Life Church activities hall is located now). There was no running water in the building. In the winter, many times, fluid and medication had to be stored at the home of a nearby member so they wouldn’t freeze. In 1986, the Company was able to secure funds to purchase land and build our current quarters at 901 Monkton Road, a 3,200 square foot metal building with all the modern amenities – running water and flush toilets. In 1991, the Company added a 2,400 square foot addition that included a third bay and training room. In the early 2000’s, the company added a kitchen with a lounge area and a rear garage with room for the Engineer’s tools.
Initially, the Company offered only ambulance service with a single ambulance. The nearest rescue service, for persons entrapped in vehicles and machinery, came from Lutherville. In 1989, Hereford Volunteer Ambulance Association added a second service – a rescue unit, Rescue 533 – and began doing business as “Hereford EMS / Rescue.” With the addition of more equipment and trained personnel, the unit was re-designated as Squad 533 in the early 1990s. In 2013, the decision was made to discontinue the Squad service due to low call volume and a re-commitment to focusing our mission on delivering excellent EMS care to the community. The Hereford Volunteer Fire Company now provides Rescue Squad services to Northern Baltimore County. In 2007, the company added an off-road-rescue ATV, uniquely equipped to handle a patient and a care provider. In 2014, MVEMS was authorized to add a second ambulance, only the second station in the county to have a second transport unit. In 2016 that ambulance was upgraded to Advanced Life Support (ALS) level thanks to the hard work of our members.
In 2024, Hereford Volunteer Ambulance Association announced we would begin doing business as Monkton Volunteer Emergency Medical Services. You can learn more about our name change here. We continue to upgrade equipment and training as Monkton Volunteer EMS pursues its mission to provide quality EMS services to its district.
