On Monday, January 30th the Summit First Aid Squad responded to a total of nine emergency 9-1-1 calls in Summit and rolled out to an additional three requests in neighboring towns that ended up being cancelled. “The crews were in ambulances all day long,” said Squad Captain, Kari Phair.

Last year the First Aid Squad responded to 1,997 emergency calls, an average of roughly 5 calls per day. “There are days when we are not very busy, but others when we respond non-stop. Monday was like that. Fortunately we have the ambulances, equipment, and active volunteers to handle that kind of call volume,” added Phair.

The Summit Volunteer First Aid Squad maintains four ambulances. Twice in January all four ambulances were put into service simultaneously responding to emergency calls in Summit.

The Summit First Aid Squad also assists neighboring towns when they are busy and require backup. Several of the 9-1-1 dispatches to the Summit Squad on Monday were to assist nearby communities. “We have mutual aid agreements with neighboring towns,” explained Phair, “but thanks to our dedicated volunteers, we are seldom in a position where we need help from other squads to cover Summit.” Last year the Squad responded to 161 calls for mutual aid in other towns, but only required assistance 15 times.

The all volunteer First Aid Squad is always looking for new members to join its ranks. All needed training, uniforms and equipment is provided. For information, please call 908-277-9479, or visit their web site.