Darien EMS - Post 53

What Darien EMS - Post 53 does

Darien EMS - Post 53 is a private, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) emergency medical services organization founded in 1970 by John E. 'Bud' Doble and headquartered in Darien, Connecticut. It delivers 24/7/365 pre-hospital emergency care and ambulance transport to the residents and visitors of Darien using three fully equipped ambulances and two flycars staffed by Connecticut-certified EMTs. The EMT workforce is composed primarily of 20-25 Darien High School students selected annually from a competitive applicant pool, supported by adult advisors who complete the same EMT certification course; over 1,000 student members have served since inception.

The organization operates within a tiered 911 response system integrated with the Darien Police Department, the three Darien fire departments, and Stamford EMS, which has provided advanced life support (ALS) paramedic services since 1995 and has maintained paramedics based in Darien since October 2016. All clinical operations are conducted under the medical direction and quality assurance oversight of Stamford Hospital, including review of patient care, response times, and on-scene times. The fleet, equipment, and headquarters at 0 Ledge Road were all donated by Darien residents and businesses.

Post 53 does not charge for basic ambulance transport; revenue consists entirely of donations, proceeds from the annual Memorial Day Food Fair fundraiser, and limited grants, with paramedic service fees collected on behalf of Stamford EMS passed through in full. Supplementary offerings include CPR/AED/First Aid and Stop the Bleed training (250+ residents certified in a recent year via Hands for Life), event standby medical services for local organizations, and community outreach programs. Darien has held the HEARTSafe Community designation from the Connecticut Department of Public Health continuously since 2009.

Name

Darien EMS - Post 53

Legal name

Darien EMS - Post 53 (Post 53 Inc)

Website

https://post53.info

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Darien EMS - Post 53 is a 501(c)(3) volunteer emergency medical service in Darien, Connecticut, founded in 1970, delivering 24/7 ambulance response and transport via Connecticut-certified EMTs drawn primarily from Darien High School students, supported by adult advisors and Stamford Hospital medical direction.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Emergency Medical Services

NAICS

Ambulance Services (62191), Ambulatory Health Care Services (621)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

911/Public EMS Agencies (Municipal/County/Fire-Based) (HLAFANAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Operations & Dispatch (HLAJAGAC), Emergency Medical Services (EMS) & Ambulance Services (BPAIAGAC)

Keywords

• Emergency medical services
• Ambulance services
• CPR training
• Event standby medical
• Community EMS

Headquarters

HQ city

Darien

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Donations: 100% of annual operating budget funded through generous contributions from friends and neighbors. Donations support equipment, services, and operational expenses.
2. Special Events: Annual Memorial Day Food Fair at Tilly Pond Park featuring food vendors, live entertainment, games, ambulance tours, and silent auction. Proceeds support operating expenses, patient care, training, and community training programs.
3. Grants: Limited cases of grants from outside organizations support operational costs.
4. Paramedic Service Fee Collection: Post 53 does not charge for basic ambulance transport. When a paramedic is needed, the patient receives a bill for paramedic services, which Post 53 collects and passes entirely to Stamford Emergency Medical Services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Darien EMS - Post 53 operates three fully equipped ambulances and two flycars staffed by Connecticut-certified student and adult EMT volunteers to deliver 24/7/365 emergency medical response and free ambulance transport to the Darien, CT community. The service is embedded in a tiered response system with Darien Police, Fire Departments, and Stamford EMS paramedics and operates under the medical direction of Stamford Hospital. Supplementary offerings include community CPR/AED/First Aid/Stop the Bleed training and event standby medical coverage for local organizations.

Product overview

Darien EMS - Post 53 is a private, not-for-profit emergency medical services organization that operates as a unified service rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offering is emergency ambulance services utilizing three fully equipped ambulances staffed by Connecticut-certified EMTs 24/7. Supplementary offerings include community CPR/First Aid training programs (in partnership with Hands for Life), event standby medical services for local businesses and organizations, and community outreach programs including ambulance tours and safety presentations. The organization is entirely donor-funded and does not provide town-billed services. Student membership programs and adult volunteer operations support the day-to-day service delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Emergency Ambulance Services Post 53 operates three fully equipped ambulances staffed by Connecticut-certified Emergency Medical Technicians, providing 24/7 emergency medical care and transport services to the Darien community through a tiered response system involving Darien Police, fire departments, adult supervisor EMTs, and Stamford EMS paramedics. The service is provided free of charge for basic ambulance transport to all patients.
• Community CPR and First Aid Training Post 53 offers CPR, AED, First Aid, Hands Only CPR, and Stop the Bleed training to Darien residents. The organization certifies hundreds of residents annually and partners with Hands for Life training around Fairfield County.
• Event Standby Medical Services Post 53 provides event standby services tailored to community events including football and hockey games, concerts, festivals, road races, and marathons, supplying staff and equipment for event medical coverage to local businesses and organizations.
• Community Outreach Programs Post 53 offers ambulance tours, 911 talks, and safety presentations to youth groups, preschools, elementary and middle schools, and community organizations. Members participate in events such as the Memorial Day Food Fair and annual Post Haunted House.

Quantifiable outcome

• Responds to over 1,600 emergency calls annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Stamford EMScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1995Stamford EMS has been providing advanced life support (ALS) paramedic services for Darien residents since 1995. Paramedics are selected based on their medical excellence and ability to work with the adults and young adults of Post 53. As of October 2016, these paramedics are based in Darien, providing seamless emergency medical care from basic through advanced life support.
• Stamford HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPost 53 operates under the strict medical direction and oversight of Stamford Hospital. Doctors from Stamford Hospital help train Post 53 members and all calls are reviewed by the EMS Quality Assurance Director at Stamford Hospital, including patient care, response times, and on-scene times.
• Hands for LifeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPost 53 is an active partner with Hands for Life training around Fairfield County and hosts several Hands for Life events throughout the year, training hundreds of Darien residents in CPR and first aid.
• Darien Police DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDarien Police serves as the primary first responder agency in the town's tiered response system. They are quickly followed by Post 53's adult supervisor EMT and ambulance when dispatched.
• Darien Fire DepartmentsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the three Darien fire departments responds when necessary as part of the tiered emergency response system, quickly followed by Post 53's response.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• American Red Cross (Training Services): The American Red Cross is a major national provider of CPR, AED, and first-aid training — a product line Post 53 also offers in its community. It is an adjacent/thematic peer in the community-training market rather than a direct EMS competitor.
• Hands for Life Fairfield County: Hands for Life is a regional CPR/AED training initiative that Post 53 actively partners with across Fairfield County. It is an ecosystem partner in the community-preparedness training market rather than a competitor, but it operates in the same thematic space.

Direct peers

• New Canaan Volunteer Ambulance Corps: Volunteer, community-funded 911 ambulance service serving New Canaan, CT, a similarly affluent Fairfield County suburb. Comparable in operating model (volunteer-staffed, donation-funded, hospital medical direction, free basic transport) and customer base to Post 53.
• Wilton Volunteer Ambulance Corps: Volunteer ambulance corps serving Wilton, CT, a comparable affluent Fairfield County town. Like Post 53, it relies on community donations and trained volunteers to deliver free basic ambulance service with paramedic intercept.
• Greenwich Emergency Medical Services (GEMS): GEMS is a nonprofit volunteer EMS organization serving Greenwich, CT, the town immediately adjacent to Darien. It is the closest functional peer: a community-funded 911 ambulance service staffed by trained volunteers with paramedic intercept relationships, operating under hospital medical direction in the same regional EMS system.
• Westport EMS: Westport EMS provides 911 ambulance response and community training programs to Westport, CT, another adjacent Fairfield County suburb. Operates with a hybrid paid/volunteer model, providing a useful structural comparison to Post 53's all-volunteer approach.

Broad incumbents

• Falck USA: Falck is a major private ambulance and emergency services operator in the U.S., providing 911, interfacility, and community paramedicine services. Comparable in vertical (EMS delivery) but competes in the paid/commercial segment where Post 53 does not operate.
• American Medical Response (AMR): AMR is the largest private ambulance and EMS provider in the United States, providing both 911 and interfacility transport across hundreds of communities. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the same industry vertical but commercially operated rather than volunteer-driven.
• Stamford EMS: Stamford EMS is the municipal advanced-life-support paramedic provider for Stamford, CT, and has provided paramedic intercept services to Darien since 1995 (with paramedics based in Darien since 2016). It is a direct partner of Post 53 and the broader incumbent paramedic service in the region.

Regional players

• Norwalk Hospital EMS: Hospital-affiliated EMS service operating in Norwalk, CT, a neighboring Fairfield County municipality. Comparable as a regional EMS provider with hospital medical direction, though structured around a hospital system rather than a volunteer nonprofit model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/DarienEMSPost53
• Instagraminstagram.com/darienpost53
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dems-post53

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles24 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Darien EMS - Post 53