The evening of February 25 was a busy shift for the normally quiet Monday night crew of Summit Volunteer First Aid Squad. The Monday night duty crew was completing a 'lift-assist' request from a Summit resident, moving a patient into a hospital bed in their home, when a call came through for a patient with abdominal pains. Shortly after arriving at that call, a motor vehicle accident occurred at the intersection of Summit Avenue and Route 124.

Since the duty crew was busy, a call for a backup crew was issued to cover the accident. Reports of multiple injuries from the accident scene prompted the crew chief to request a third crew to be assembled. Seven off-duty members responded with 2 ambulances to the accident scene where they treated and transported three individuals to Overlook Hospital. Meanwhile, the duty crew also transported their patient to Overlook.

According to John Staunton, Squad President and crew chief at the accident scene, "This type of situation demonstrates the dedication of squad members even while not on duty. Members often keep their radios and pagers nearby to monitor for just this kind of need."

The duty crew also answered to 2 calls during the overnight portion of the shift; one at 3:45 AM and another at 6:15 AM. Both patients were transported to Overlook.

The First Aid Squad is always looking for new volunteers and provides all needed training and equipment. For information, please call 908-277-9479, or visit us on the Internet at www.summitems.org.