Volunteers save lives in spare time

Author: Kelly Janis

Embedded in the blaring sirens and flashy emblems that whir through the streets of Middlebury is an intricate network of dedication, passion and expertise.

The Middlebury Volunteer Ambulance Association, the only paramedic service in Addison County, is the ninth-largest ambulance service in Vermont and, with its 60-member roster, the largest volunteer squad in the state. The corps boasts a fleet of four paramedic equipped ambulances and a special rescue apparatus with which it provides emergency medical services, pre-hospital medicine and non-emergency and critical care transfers.

MVAA serves the towns of Middlebury, East Middlebury, Bridport, Shoreham, Orwell, Ripton, Salisbury, Cornwall, Weybridge, Whiting, and New Haven. Those situated within the squad's approximately 400 square mile jurisdiction relish in its proximity. "If you are calling 911 because your friend or relative is injured or sick, you want to know that there is a crew nearby who can be there rather quickly, rather than having to wait on a crew to assemble in Bristol or some place farther away," explained volunteer Annie Davison '08.

The ambulance corps fields approximately 2,000 calls a year, and it is rapidly growing. Scott Supernaw, Chief Operating Officer of the Association, estimates that the volume of calls increases by approximately eight percent each year, a trend he expects to continue. "MVAA has evolved from about a dozen first aid trained community members providing ambulance service, one used ambulance, for a hand full of towns to the organization we are today," Supernaw said. In spite of its mounting success, however, the squad is not immune to hardship.

On June 12, 2006, a MVAA ambulance was traveling on Route 7 in New Haven en route to Fletcher Allen Health Care Center in Burlington when it was struck head-on by a 1998 Subaru driven by Jennifer S. Laughlin, 44, of Castleton. Both vehicles were destroyed. Laughlin, who crossed the center line for reasons unknown, died instantly. The ambulance's five occupants, including a driver, patient, registered nurse and two rescue squad members, suffered assorted injuries.

"The crash was a very serious wake-up call for MVAA," Supernaw said. "Most EMS providers will acknowledge that there is some risk and danger involved, but in the 37 years of MVAA's operations there has never been one to this severity. The crash has raised awareness to the fact that treating patients in a moving ambulance, especially critical patients, is a dangerous game."

"It really brought what we do home," MVAA member Laurie Griffin '07 said. "We have all had calls where we have known patients, but your role as an EMT gives you a unique, almost separated feeling from what is happening, which is very important to doing your job well. The crash made all of us really appreciate what we and others do."

W. Scott Buckley '06, the ambulance's driver at the time of the collision, sustained a femur fracture and lower body injuries as a result of the wreck. Buckley's service to the MVAA, which he provides, "simply to help other people" was not permanently curtailed by the incident. He is back on the job as a driver, and intends to begin working as an attendant once he has adequately rehearsed his EMT skills. Buckley's determination to assume his former post is born of the squad's immense resonance in his life. "It's very rewarding to know that the community relies on you and your colleagues for emergency medical care," he said.

Other student volunteers echo this sentiment. "It gives me a different perspective on Middlebury," said MVAA member Scott Schwitz '07. "Students usually only see what's happening up on campus. This lets me meet a lot of people in town and see what their lives are like."

Laurie Griffin '07 became aware of the opportunity for Middlebury students to join the squad while she was researching the College as a prospective student. "I decided I wanted to expand my college experience to include being part of the community in more than just a superficial way and I knew working as an EMT would be interesting, rewarding and something I would be well suited for," she said. "So I spent my Feb semester becoming certified as an EMT and applied as soon as I got to Middlebury."

Annie Davison '08 also spent the semester prior to her spring enrollment at the College securing EMT certification. "Emergency medicine is in my blood," she said, explaining that her father is a paramedic and firefighter, and that she had considered pursuing a pre-med track when she first matriculated at Middlebury. Though her career plans have changed, she still values the MVAA as a means of being active in the town community. "Besides," Davison joked, "I heard that guys totally dig chicks that carry two-way radios to Atwater brunch."

Service in the MVAA is frequently quite demanding. "I often don't get to sleep very much," admitted Schwitz, who functions as a liaison between the College and the ambulance corps. "I've been pretty tired in my classes." "Yet," he added, "I really enjoy putting so much time into it."

Alongside the challenges the squad presents are a multitude of gratifying rewards. Davison recalls an instance this fall when the squad responded to an elderly woman who had fallen. One of the patient's friends approached an EMT in the midst of attending to her, tapped him on the shoulder, and commended the squad's "really amazing" performance. "It was in that moment that I realized that what we were doing really was making a difference and that our efforts don't go completely unnoticed," Davison said.

Numerous volunteers and staff members make note of the spirit of camaraderie which pervades the MVAA. "There have been many memorable calls, but the best memory I have is not the calls. It's the occasions in the past three years when MVAA came together as a family for major advances in the organization," Supernaw said. "One would think that with 60 different personalities in a single organization and single station there would be major issues. But the MVAA members and employees all pull together for the community and patients we serve."

Griffin has witnessed this dynamic manifested countless times. "After one particularly draining shift, both physically and mentally, we were on our way home from a call and every one was pretty down," she recalled. "Suddenly, one member of the crew started singing Row, Row, Row Your Boat. Next thing we knew, all five of us were singing in a round and laughing hysterically. It was a very refreshing moment that let us all relax and appreciate having the experiences we had shared together."

The Middlebury Volunteer Ambulance Association relies heavily upon, and strongly urges, student involvement. "MVAA is one of the most dynamic and exciting community based organizations in the area," Supernaw said. "Any students who are interested in medicine and a future in healthcare should experience EMS firsthand."

Students who have already taken advantage of this firsthand experience can attest to Supernaw's assertion. "MVAA is an awesome thing to get involved in," Griffin said. "It does require time and effort, but what you get back out of it makes it so worth it. It keeps college in perspective and helps you to see and understand the community. You come to live in a deeper way."

Buckley suggests that interested students apply early on in their college careers, but cautions them not to do it merely to occupy a line on their resume. "It is demanding and rewarding, and would be difficult to do were your heart not in it."