The Summit Volunteer First Aid Squad recently elected officers for the 2008 Board. John Staunton, a long-time Squad member who has held many Board positions throughout the years, has been elected President. Mr. Staunton stated, "It is an honor to serve as President of the Squad. All of our volunteers work diligently to develop and maintain their EMS skills, and I look forward to representing our Squad in the community and at various county and state organizations."

Also serving on the Board will be Steve Mortenson (Vice President), Matt Sinclair (Recording Secretary), Peggy Quinn (Corresponding Secretary), Tom Dempsey (Treasurer), Kari Phair (Captain), Richard Raymond (Equipment Lieutenant), Kate Getzendanner (Training Lieutenant), Chris Raymond (Records Lieutenant), Jane James (Personnel Lieutenant), and George Shepherd (Maintenance Lieutenant). Trustees for 2008 are Andy Luciani, Ed Mokuvos, Richard Ryden, Dave Schempp, and Fred Schwarzmann.

PHOTO CAPTION - Members of the 2008 Summit Volunteer First Aid Squad Board (l to r) Fred Schwarzmann, Steve Mortenson, John Staunton, Ed Mokuvos, Peggy Quinn, Kari Phair, Andy Luciani, Richard Raymond, Chris Raymond, Jane James, Tom Dempsey, and Matt Sinclair. Missing from the photo are Kate Getzendanner, George Shepherd, Dave Schempp, and Richard Ryden.

The Annual Dinner for the Squad was held in early January to recognize accomplishments from 2007, both for the Squad and for several individual members. Each year, one Squad member is selected to receive the Presidents Award, presented to the member that most exemplifies dedication to the Squad and the community. This year’s recipient was Steve Mortenson, recognized for his contributions to significant changes to the bylaws that determine governance of the Squad. Jack Lyness, the Squad President during 2007, said, "Steve played a vital and central role in rewriting the bylaws, facilitating numerous meetings of his committee and of the entire squad, ensuring an understanding of the changes being made and the reasons behind them.

Mr. Lyness also awarded the "Star of Life" to several Squad members who showed outstanding commitment during 2007. Receiving the awards were Jane James, for her role as Personnel Lieutenant, and Polly Seifert, for her role as Equipment Lieutenant. Special recognition was given to Squad Captain Kari Phair, who continued to guide the Squad operations and ensured adherence with the latest training and emergency response requirements.

In a mutual support arrangement with the Chatham Emergency Squad, Chatham provided a crew to cover Summit the night of the dinner, and the Summit squad reciprocated during Chatham's annual dinner.