“This is the next step in our evolution,” said Enterprise Rescue Squad Chief Executive Officer Capt. Anthony Cole as he officially cut the ribbon – with medical scissors – for Enterprise Rescue’s Air 1 air ambulance during a ceremony held Friday morning at the Enterprise Municipal Airport.

First responders, civic leaders, and elected officials joined with PHI trainers to debut the Bell 407 air ambulance, which will be housed at the city’s municipal airport.

Cole, who has served with Enterprise Rescue for more than 50 years, credited Enterprise Rescue’s Operations Manager Arnold Woodham and PHI Air Medical’s Sam Marshall for “working tirelessly, turning a vision into what we see here today.

“If it hadn’t been for Arnold and Sam Marshall putting this together, I don’t think it would have happened,” Cole said. “I’m proud to see how we have grown over the years. This is the next step in our evolution, and I hope we have many more to come.”

Enterprise Rescue Squad has operated for nearly 60 years. After the purchase of a 1958 Pontiac hearse for $250, Enterprise Rescue Squad answered its first call in 1963. Seven members of the community trained in American Red Cross First Aid volunteered to staff the fledgling service. Avenue. Over time, the service grew and in 1981 Dr. Andy Kirk put together the squad’s first structured Emergency Medical curriculum and “attendants” became EMTs.

As the demand for Emergency Medical Services increased, it became obvious that the change from volunteer to paid service was necessary and in 1997 Enterprise Rescue Squad became Enterprise Rescue, Inc. With the addition of a separate administration and training building at 519 E. Lee Street in Enterprise, Enterprise Rescue has become a regional training facility for various programs and agencies, according to Woodham. “We hold over 100 classes a year ranging from basic first aid and CPR to critical care and specialty courses for advanced medical providers.

“We are constantly finding ways to improve the quality of our services. From the newest state-of-the-art medical equipment and vehicles to ongoing training in the latest developments in emergency medicine, we will continue to serve our community with professionalism and pride,” said Woodham. “When I joined Enterprise Rescue in 1989, our goal was that whatever it took, with the assets we had, we would provide the very best service to the citizens of Enterprise. That’s always been our mission will always continue to be.”

Woodham said Enterprise Rescue has had unbelievable support since they first began to discuss the feasibility of a partnership with PHI Medical. Crediting the Coffee County Commission and the leadership in each of the municipalities in Coffee County, Woodham said, “The attitude throughout the process has not been, ‘We can’t do it,’” Woodham said. “It’s been, ‘What can we do to make it happen?’”

“Welcome to Enterprise, the City of Progress, the only city in the world that honors a pest with a monument in the middle of town,” Cooper said to the Mississippi-based PHI personnel at the ribbon cutting, referring to the 102-year-old Boll Weevil Monument in the middle of Main Street. “This is a big plus for our community.”