About Our Founding Date

Why does your website say the Rescue Squad is "now in its 69th year" when your founding date is 1937?   Doesn't that make 72 years?                                                          

The apparent discrepancy lies in the Rescue Squad's rich and interesting history.   In 1937, area resident Don Dunnington recognized the dire need for ambulance service in Chevy Chase.  With generous donations from the community, Dunnington and a small group of co-founders organized the “Chevy Chase First-Aid Corps,” which was the predecessor of the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad. 

Shortly after the U.S. entered World War II, Dunnington and all of the co-founders disbanded the organization so that they could enslist in the military.  For approximately three years, the residents of Chevy Chase and Upper Northwest Washington had to make do without the dedicated rescuers.  

In 1945, having returned from the war, the group reformed as the Bethesda-Chevy Chase First Aid Corps and resumed operations.  In 1946 the organization was incorporated as the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad. 

In total, the organization has been serving the community for 69 years, as of 2009.  (This figure includes the years of operation as the "Chevy Chase First Aid Corps," "Bethesda-Chevy Chase First Aid Corps," and "Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad).

For more about the Rescue Squad's history, click here.