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Society for Total Emergency Programs (STEP) Council of the Genesee Valley Records

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: 2026-016

Staff Only

Content Description

The STEP Council of the Genesee Valley was founded in 1967, initially as the Study of Trauma and Emergencies Project (the present name was adopted in 1972). The organization was founded to train ambulance and emergency medical services (EMS) staff and find ways to improve their services. This included the development of the triplicate ambulance record (1970), Mobile Coronary Care Units (1969-1974), and the creation of the regional EMS Center (1980). A History Committee also collected materials related to the history and development of EMS services in Monroe County. The records consist of 65 letter boxes, including 10 boxes of historical material on regional EMS companies. Most of the material present consists of documents.

Dates

  • Creation: 1963-2020 (Approximate)

Conditions Governing Access

There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of the collection.

Conditions Governing Use

Permission to publish, reproduce, distribute, or use in any current or future manifestations must be obtained in writing from the Rochester Public Library Local History and Genealogy Division.

Administrative History

In 1963 the assistant medical director of the Monroe County Health Department, Dr. Harold Wornick, suggested that ambulance personnel should be trained in the care of patients prior to their arrival at the hospital. This was a novel idea, as previously ambulance staff were untrained in even basic medical procedures. In September of 1963, a teaching conference was held for volunteer fire department and ambulance services personnel. The faculty who led this training program included Dr. Wornick, Dr. Henry Crawford of the Rochester General Hospital, Dr. John Morton from the Strong Memorial Hospital, and Dr. David Kluge from Genesee Hospital. This first training program gave birth to an annual conference, which has been running for over sixty years. These two-day conferences provided a place for training, and a platform for emergency care specialists to present their expertise to others in the field.

The growth in popularity of these conferences led to the formal development of the not-for-profit organization STEP, first named the Study of Trauma and Emergencies Project. The work of STEP led to the state-wide development of regional emergency medical services councils by the New York State Legislature in 1976.

After several years of success, STEP decided to become a national 501C tax-exempt non-profit organization and renamed themselves to the Society for Total Emergency Programs. As a fully-fledged organization with a national board of directors, STEP continued to be a leading voice in emergency medical services, leading programs such as annual mass casualty drills, the development of the Rochester regional Mobile Critical Care Units, and the SAVE-A-HEART program which provided CPR training to many in the Rochester area. STEP’s work continues to contribute to the advancement of emergency medical training in the Rochester area and New York State.

Full Extent

19 Cubic Feet (65 legal-size flip top boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

This collection consists of the records of the Society for Total Emergency Programs (STEP) of the Genessee Valley. The materials date from 1963 to approximately 2020. The records are comprised of meeting minutes, financial records, correspondence, photographs, newspaper clippings, and other ephemera.

Arrangement

This collection consists of sixty-five boxes divided into seven record groups.

Record Group 100: STEP National

Record Group 200: Administration

Series 210: STEP Board
Series 220: Financial
Series 230: Activities
Series 240: Affiliations

Record Group 300: Monroe-Livingston Regional Emergency Medical Services

Series 310: Governing
Series 320: Committees
Series 330: EMS Center

Record Group 400: Regional EMS Medical Director

Record Group 500: Ambulance and Emergency Services

Series 510: Volunteer Ambulances
Series 520: Districts
Series 530: Ambulance Services

Record Group 600: Subject Files

Record Group 700: Miscellaneous Organizations

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of STEP of the Genessee Valley to the Local History and Geneaology division in 2025 [Accession number 2025.067]

Bibliography

Kluge, David. 2025, unpublished typescript, Society for Total Emergency Programs (STEP) Council of the Genesee Valley Records, Box 1, Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County, Rochester, NY.


Condition Description

Generally good.

Processing Information

The arrangement of this collection largely maintains its original order. The choice was made while processing this collection to maintain the Record Group based ordering to better preserve the original order of the collection. Some changes were made during processing to its arrangement in order to better represent the materials' dates and functions. The collection was consolidated into a smaller number of letter boxes than were present when the collection was accessioned, all original materials remain.

Subjects

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
A guide to the Society for Total Emergency Programs (STEP) Council of the Genesee Valley Records.
Status
In Progress
Author
Violet Davis, supervised by Brandon Fess
Date
2026-06-16
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Physical Storage Information

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the Local History & Genealogy Division Repository

Contact:
115 South Ave.
Rochester 14604 USA
585-428-8370
585-428-8353 (Fax)

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