Helderberg Ambulance met on May 14. This was not our ordinary type of meeting. For the first time in the history of the squad, we met by Zoom.

We would like to congratulate Carrie Murray of Berne, who has become our newest crew chief.

The captain, Neal Hogan, added two more symptoms for COVID-19, which now include: fever, shortness of breath, cough, diarrhea, loss of the senses of taste and smell.

We would like to thank Shannon Van Buren of Altamont, Missy Worden of East Berne, Melanie Axel-Lute of Knox, Ann Hein of East Berne, Kris Zimmer of Knox, and Rose Dewey of Berne for making scrub caps for the crew to wear on a call.

It was discovered that, if a person coughs, the virus would attach itself to our hair. We would also like to thank one of our members, Deb Flagler, for cutting the material and for answering the questions from our volunteers.

We would like to congratulate all of the Berne-Knox-Westerlo seniors who will be completing their studies.

We would especially like to congratulate Veronica Stempel, who rides with the squad, as an attendant. Veronica is the daughter of Kim and Patrick Stempel. Kim is an emergency medical technician and Patrick is a driver. 

We would also like to congratulate Jada Wesley. Jada is the daughter of Tara Wesley, who is an EMT with the squad. We wish all of the seniors the best of luck in the future.

A special thanks to the Westerlo Rescue Squad for donating several masks. All of these donations have helped prevent the members from becoming infected. Thank you, everyone.

There were 26 calls for the month, with 15 transports. There were 18 calls in Berne, 7 in Knox, and 1 other. The volunteer hours for the months of January to April are 4,625. Year to date, there have been 126 calls.

There will be a summer EMT class. The class will be held on Tuesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., beginning on May 26 at the Regional Emergency Medical Organization at 24 Madison Avenue Extension in Albany. If interested, call Steve Gomula at 518-464-5097, ext. 3006.

Since the pandemic, several of the EMTs have been taking classes online. The classes are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evening from 6 to 7 p.m. These classes have been a great help as the members try to maintain their certification.

Be kind anyway

I saw this article on Facebook and would like to share it with you:

Some people don’t agree with the state opening — that’s OK, be kind anyway.

Some people are still planning on staying home — that’s OK, be kind anyway.

Some still are scared of getting the virus and a second wave happening — that’s OK, be kind anyway.

Some are sighing with relief to go back to work, knowing they may not lose their business or home — that’s OK, be kind anyway.

Some are thankful they can finally have the surgery they have put off — that’s OK, be kind anyway

Some will be able to attend interviews after weeks without a job — that’s OK, be kind anyway.

Some will wear masks for weeks — that’s OK, be kind anyway.

Some will rush out to get their hair or nails done — that’s OK, be kind anyway.

The point is, everyone has different viewpoints and feelings and that’s OK, be kind anyway.

We each have a different story. If you need to stay home, stay home — be kind anyway.

If you need to go out, go. Just respect others when in public, and be kind anyway.

Don’t judge fellow humans because you are not in their story. We are all in different mental states than we were months ago — be kind anyway.