Evening star., 1943-03-14
Experienced Women Drivers of AWVS
Replace Men on Emergency Ambulance
Hospital Finds Them
Efficient; Answered
FirstCuIIin in 1OMinutes

Experienced young women drivers
of the American Womens Voluntary
Services have taken over the job OF
driving Emergency Hospitals am
bulance six days a week. replacing
men. it was learned yesterday after
the ambulance picked up a woman
traffic victim on a downtown street
within 10 minutes after the call
was received
This development came in the
midst of the movement to set up a
new system of CO. ordinating the
calling and dispatching of am
balances. The Commissioners are
working on broad program to i'm
prove the city's ambulance service.
Are Well Trained.
The women drivers. who have had
many hours of special training in
addition to experience in driving
regular cars, were praised last night
by James G. Capossela, superintend-
ent of Emergency Hospital, as eff
cient-and welcome, They are
taking places of men drivers lost
to the armed forces, he said. Men
still are used to operate the am
bulance during the night shifts and
on Sundays. An inferno always
rides with the ambulance on all
calls, he explained.
This is the second hospital where
AWVS drivers have taken the place
of men. Members of the AWVS
motor corps sometime ago began
driving the Casualty Hospital am
bulance.
The general idea of co-ordinating
ambulance service in Washington
received approval from both Super
intendent Capossela and Miss Anita
Phipps. president of the District of
Columbia Unit of the AWVS.
Favors Central System.
If and when the city sets up a
central system for calling and dis
patching all hospital, police, fire
and private ambulances, Mr.. Capos-
sela said. 'it would operate for the
benefit of every one concerned"
The new system of speeding up
the police program for reporting
and responding to accidents proved
yesterday it was operating smoothly
IN the case OF man struck by an
automobile. in the northeast section
of the city. He was picked up by a
police scout car ambulance within
two minutes after the accident.
The AWVS Motor Corps already
is operating three ambulances from
its headquarters in the 1700 block
of Florida avenue NV. near Massa-
chusetts avenue, in cooperation
with District authorities. Miss
Phipps explained
Praises Motor Corps.
The AWVS Motor Corps Is
trained and prepared to drive any
kind Of vehicle, including trucks
or ambulances," said Miss Phipps.
Driver of the ambulance on the
swift call yesterday morning was
Mrs. Jane Greene, whose father,
Brig. Gen. C. c. Drake, was taken
prisoner by the Japanese on Bataan
and whose husband. 1t. Col G. Ben
jamin Greene, is fighting the Japs
in New Guinea. With her was her
driver-partner, Mrs. Jane MacIn-
tyre, wife of Everett MacIntyre. an
attorney in the Federal Trade Com
mission.
The Commissioners are assembling
-Eaanx tacts in nEeparatjon for their
broad study Of the ambulance PROS
lem. They viii have before them
the results Of fanaextensiye study OF
hesamE qnEst1pn m&4E in 1929
BY the District Health bSbartm9nt
for the late Commissioner Melvin
C. Hazen. Several different medical
and health agencies will be called
on for advice.
John Russell Young, president of
the Board of Commissioners, who
returned from a Florida vacation,
plans to take up the ambulance
question soon. it was learned last
night.