To the rescue
Free blood-pressure clinic in Altamont



ALTAMONT — The supervisor of the Altamont Rescue Squad, Paula Dunnells, has spent the bulk of her adult life caring for others.

Her career as an emergency medical worker began when she was a brand-new mother. She was 19 and worried after her infant son fell in his carrier on the sidewalk. She called for help and, because she lived in Westmere, the Western Turnpike Rescue Squad answered her call and calmed her fears.

Her son was fine and she decided to volunteer to help.
"Five kids later, I’m still doing it," said Dunnells.

Her latest initiative is a blood-pressure clinic at the Home Front Café on Main Street in Altamont. The free clinic will be held from 9 a.m. to noon on Jan. 27.
"We have a lot of elderly residents," said Dunnells. "The Home Front is a community center and Cindy was nice enough to offer it," she said of the café’s owner, Cindy Pollard.

In addition to taking blood pressures and answering questions, squad members will ask residents to fill out Vial of Life information. Residents write down their medical history and emergency contacts and keep it in vials in their refrigerators so that, in case of an emergency where, for example, a patient is unconscious, rescue workers can find what they need to know.
"It’s not just for old people. It’s for anybody with a medical problem, like diabetes or allergies," said Dunnells. "The first thing an emergency worker does is head for the refrigerator."

Dunnells also hopes the Jan. 27 clinic might inspire residents to volunteer for the rescue squad. The Altamont squad currently has 17 volunteers, she said, and could use more.

During the daytime, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., the staff is paid, but, at night, volunteers are needed, she said.
Dunnells’s entire family is involved in rescue work. "My husband works with me; he’s out in the rig now," said Dunnells on Monday morning as she dropped by the Enterprise newsroom with a notice about the blood-pressure clinic.

Her children range in age from 16 to 3. Her 14-year-old is an Explorer at the firehouse, she said, and her toddlers do CPR on their stuffed animals.
"They love to help," she said as her beeper sounded, calling her to someone in need.