Volunteer voices. Helderberg Ambulance and Berne Fire District work together, practice skills

July was another active month for the Helderberg Ambulance Squad. The members responded to 45 calls. The 45 calls consisted of 31 transports to local hospitals, 14 non transports, and three motor-vehicle incidents. There were 12 cancelled calls and two stand-by calls.  The ambulance responded to 30 calls in the town of Berne, 13 in the town of Knox, and two calls to other agencies.

The Helderberg Ambulance Squad and the Berne Fire District work well together to help members of the community. The Berne Fire District responds to all motor-vehicle incidents and Helderberg Ambulance responds to all fire calls in the district.

This past month, both agencies had a drill on Monday, July 25, at the Game Farm property on Switzkill Road in Berne. This drill was to practice rescue skills. A lot of planning was needed to make the drill a success. Thank you, Berne Fire District, for all your work.  A special thank-you is extended to all who participated in the activity.

Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) classes will be held at the State University of New York College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill this fall. If you are interested, please contact SUNY.

In July, the squad made improvements to the parking area of both facilities, and we also had maintenance done on the ambulances.

During the summer, our members like to take vacations, but we are proud to say that we did not turn over any calls to other agencies.  Thank you to all the members who responded.

Editor’s note: Mildred Zuk is a member of the Helderberg Ambulance Squad.