The Summit Volunteer First Aid Squad has been named "Volunteer EMS Agency of the Year" by the NJ State Dept. of Health and the NJ Emergency Medical Services Council. The award was presented to Captain Kari Phair and Vice President John Staunton at the annual Emergency Medical Services Week dinner held in Somerset.

According to Mr. Staunton, who completed the application on behalf of the Squad, the organization was selected based upon the success of several innovative programs, the squad's ability to respond to major disasters and various community education projects.

In 1992, the Summit First Aid Squad became the first in the State to deploy EMTs on bicycles for coverage of major events. This concept was designed to get initial medical care to patients faster when crowds and/or closed streets might delay an ambulance. It has also proven to be a great publicity tool as well as a vehicle for promoting bicycle safety. The Emergency Response Bike Team has become a model for other agencies and has developed approved training programs which have helped at least 7 other squads start teams of their own. The Squad team also served as the inspiration for the Summit Police Bicycle Patrol program, which was started 2 years ago.

Staffing of ambulances on a 24-hour basis has been a challenge for the Squad in recent years, particularly during weekdays. Squad leadership has responded to that challenge with a volunteer recruitment drive (currently underway), outreach to people who work in town and able to answer daytime calls, and the use of 2-way portable radios which allow members to quickly answer calls as well as report emergencies from anywhere in town. The Squad was instrumental in starting a First Responder Program with the Summit Fire Department and also created an Affiliate Member program for people who are unable to ride the ambulance, but can volunteer for administrative and other non-emergency functions. "This lightens the load a bit on our active members", said Ms. Phair.

The Summit Squad has also been a pioneer in promoting health and safety to the general public with programs for children, parents, and seniors. These include The Vial of Life - a system for safely storing vital medical data in the home; That's Using Your Head - an identification system for children who ride bikes, roller blades or skate boards; WHALE (We Have A Little Emergency) - an identification system for children in car seats; Let's Learn about Ambulances - a coloring book designed to help children feel more comfortable around emergency responders, and a blood pressure record program. Like all Squad programs, these are offered free of charge.

To help publicize these programs, the squad has cultivated relationships with area newspapers and a TV-36 and built a detailed web site that includes valuable health & safety information. Since it's launch, the web site has been the source of a dozen membership applications.

The Squad speaker's bureau also makes frequent visits to community groups to promote health and safety. In addition to the Bike Team, members along with an ambulance and our EMS canopy are also sent to every major event and health fair in the City.

Training has always been an important part of the Squad mission and a variety of programs for the general public as well as for EMT continuing education are offered at our building. The squad believes that the key to retaining volunteers is to maintain an environment in which members feel comfortable and can easily find the training they need. A Summit First Aid Squad member can complete all needed rectification training without leaving the building. Over the years, the Summit Squad has also been a leader in offering training to other area agencies.

In addition to covering the City of Summit, squad members frequently assist other communities. Excellent mutual aid agreements which include coordinated radio frequencies have been developed with neighboring Chatham, Millburn and New Providence. Summit sent a crew that spent 14 hours in Bound Brook following Hurricane Floyd. During the tragic fire at Seton Hall, Summit responded very quickly with 2 of it's 3 ambulances which were the 3^rd and 4^th mutual aid crews to arrive. In the past 12 months, Summit has provided emergency mutual aid to 12 different communities.

The First Aid Squad is currently seeking new volunteers for a variety of duties. [Click here] for more information.

"We hope you'll consider joining our winning team", said Mr. Staunton