Happy New Year! Just like you, the members of Helderberg Ambulance are thrilled that 2020 is in the past. We look forward to another year of service to the community.

The total number of calls for 2020 was 470. We did 263 transports of which 219 were medical. We had 75 standby calls for Albany County. Most of the calls — 314 — were in the town of Berne, and 138 were in the town of Knox.

We had five calls that we turned over to Albany County. We had one turnover in November and four in December.

Our average time out is between 8 and 10 minutes, which is actually below the national average.

At the December Zoom meeting, the following members were elected as officers for 2021. President Alan Zuk, Vice President Chuck Feldmann, Secretary Millie Zuk, and Treasurer Beth Jones. The line officers are Captain Neal Hogan, and lieutenants Ray Schimmer and Raoul DeGaetano. Congratulations to all.

When the members of Helderberg Ambulance respond to a call many of us use a courtesy light, which is green. This light indicates that members are responding to a call with their personal vehicle. If you see a green light and can safely pull over that would be great. If you see a vehicle with a blue light, it indicates that a member of the fire company is responding to a call.

Helderberg Ambulance participated in the holiday parade that was held on Dec. 5. It was a great parade and we would like to extend our thanks to those who organized the parade and to all those who watched from their cars. This was a great day for the community.

If you call 9-1-1, please be sure to have an outside light on.

Congratulations to Adrianna Fahd of East Berne who just recently passed her test to become an emergency medical technician or EMT. We are so proud of you, Adrianna.

Helderberg Ambulance will be sponsoring an American Red Cross Blood drive on Saturday, Jan. 23, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. If you would like to donate, please call 1-800-733-2767 to schedule an appointment.

The rising cases of COVID-19 continue to be of concern. Please be safe, wear a mask, social distance, and wash your hands.

If someone in your household experiences symptoms of the flu or COVID, be sure to have them isolate in one room. If the person needs to share the bathroom, make sure the person has his or her own towel.

We have had several snow storms in the past few weeks. When you go out in the car, be prepared. Be sure you have an ice scraper; a working flashlight; a blanket; kitty litter; and extra warm clothing such as gloves, hat, and scarf. Also make sure you have plenty of gas and a charged-up cell phone.