Newtown’s Volunteer

Ambulance Service

To the Editor:

It’s been another busy year for the Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps. 2000’s emergency calls increased 12 percent over the previous year with a total of 1,688 calls. Our call volume has increased 35 percent over the past two years.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with NVAC, we are an all volunteer corps, 61 members strong at present, responding to emergency medical calls 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. This is a free service provided to the people of Newtown and no one receives a bill for our use.

Emergency medical calls are handled by the dispatchers at the Edmond Town hall. They are responsible for calling NVAC and a paramedic from Danbury Hospital (if necessary). Crews are comprised of EMT’s (Emergency Medical Technicians), and IV Techs (Intraveneous Technicians), staff at the ambulance garage, typically on 12 hour shifts so that we may roll the ambulance immediately. Medics are dispatched simultaneously if the call meets specific conditions such as a chest pain, difficulty breathing, altered mental status, etc…. at the same time, our members who are all over town respond directly to the scene to initiate care until the rig arrives.

We are backed up with strong support from our police and fire companies. Last year the police responded to most of our calls to insure our safety and helped with medical assistance on a number of occasions. Many of Newtown’s firefighters are trained EMT’s or MRT’s (Medical Rescue Technicians) and they provide everything from medical assistance to lift assist. And last but not least, our paramedic vehicle drivers are made up of townspeople who want to help but may not want to be part of hands-on medical care. They drive the paramedic car back to the hospital so our paramedics are ready to respond quickly to another call.

Our biggest challenge this past year was covering 244 double, 60 triple, and 18 quadruple calls as well as 18 mutual aid requests from other communities. Newtown has a mutual agreement with Bethel and Stony Hill. This means we will come to each other’s assistance if aay of us need an ambulance. Newtown helped with mutual aid to others 36 times last year and had requested help 23 times. This occurred when we were working triple or quadruple calls simultaneously.

The town of Newtown is spread out over a large area of approximately 60 square miles. In spite of this members live in all areas of town and we are able to get personnel to the scene within minutes, to start immediate care until the ambulance arrives.

Several of our members should be recognized for service to the community above and beyond what the corps requires members to do on a monthly basis. Deb Aubin was our top responder with 345 calls, followed by Ken Lerman – 287, Elizabeth Cain – 280, Karin Halstead –267, Ken Appley – 254, Chris Belair – 243, Tom Hanlon– 210, Kevin Clyne – 197, and Mike Agius with 209. These people, in addition to doing their regular staffing, are going directly to the scene most of the time.

Education and medical training is an important part of NVAC. We will give talks and/or tours to community groups and organizations. We regularly host visits by our Brownie & Scout troops and recertify all the recreation department’s camp counselors and lifeguards in CPR in June. In 2000, NVAC taught 10 CPR, 2 First Aid, 1 MRT, and 1 EMT courses, as well as 1 EMT and 1 MRT re-certification course. NVAC also taught CPR to area restaurants in November in preparation for the holidays. Classes for 2001 are already underway. All EMS personnel in Newtown have just been re-certified in CPR and defibrillation. There will be a CPR course on February 11 and a first aid course on January 24 at 6:30 pm. Anyone who is interested in signing up should call Debby at 426-6874 to register or receive additional course information.

As our town continues to grow, the demands on the ambulance corps continue to increase. We are always looking for new members, as we must continue to grow to meet the challenges of tomorrow. We provide all training and offer “ride along” to see what we are about. If you are not medically inclined, we need medic vehicle drivers and support in clerical and administrative areas. Please help make a difference – call 426-6874. We have a spot waiting for you!

Susan E. Cameron,

Newtown Volunteer Corps

Mt Pleasant Road, Newtown            January 16, 2001