spfld.com
Copyright 1997-2008 by Apu
My main, non-computer-related activity is volunteer EMS. EMS as in Emergency Medical Services. I am, and have been since 1991, an active member of the Springfield First Aid Squad. The Squad is an all-volunteer organization providing, at no cost to our patients, emergency medical treatment and transportation to those people in Springfield, including those motorists on Route 22, Route 24 and Interstate 78. We also provide backup coverage to our neighboring towns (mainly, Millburn/Short Hills and Mountainside) and statewide in the event of a disaster. Additionally, the Squad provides coverage for special events such as the 1993 U.S. Golf Open at Baltusrol.
I have been an Emergency Medical Technician-Ambulance (EMT-A) since 1992, certified by the State of New Jersey Department of Health (now Department of Health and Senior Services). In 1993, I increased my level of training to that of EMT-D, meaning that I can operate a defibrillator, and, in 1996, I completed APCO's Basic Telecommunicator and Emergency Medical Dispatch courses. (That means I can get a job answering 911 calls if I wanted to.) When New Jersey transitioned to the EMT-Basic (EMT-B) training program in 1998, so did I.
In 1995, I was appointed to the Squad's in-house training committee and, as of June 1997, I am running the Squad's new-member training program. Lastly, in the December 1997 elections, I was voted in as Second Lieutenant for the 1998 calendar year (i.e., Second Officer) with responsibilities of being the "supervisor" for night and weekend crews, compiling the operations reports, and assisting the other field officers as needed. I was re-elected for the 1999, 2000 and 2001 calendar years. Then, for 2002 and 2003, I was elected to the First Lietentant' position.
This year (2004) I have been elected as the Captain of the Squad. The Captain serves as the Squad's Chief of Operations and has final authority and responsibilty for the operations of the Squad, its equipment and members. Of course, I can never do this job alone and am thankful for the help of Paul Dorman (First Lt.), Chelsea McKinley (Second Lt.) and all of the members of the Squad.
The Squad is always looking for new members. You don't even need to live in our town to join; you just need to make it to a call within about five minutes. For more information, you can e-mail the Squad (in care of me) at <sfas@spfld.com> or send regular mail to the Springfield First Aid Squad, P.O. Box 247, Springfield, New Jersey 07081-0247. Other options including calling the Squad at +1-973-376-2040, or asking any of our members that you happen to see. We're easy to spot in our reflective orange jackets. Also, don't forget to visit our website at www.SpringfieldFAS.org.