Ambulance Squad members kept busy with accident calls, falls, illnesses

SALISBURY — The Salisbury Volunteer Ambulance Service (SVAS) is an all-volunteer organization whose members are on call 24 hours-a-day, seven days-a-week to respond to emergencies in the community.  

In the month of January SVAS went on 45 calls; these included three motor vehicle accidents, seven dispatches for a sick person,10 falls, four for difficulty breathing, two psychiatric problems, four carbon monoxide alarms, two fire alarms, two chimney fires and three refusals (patients declined to be transported). Ten of the dispatches involved residents of Noble Horizons. There were two days when the ambulance was called out four times and two days when crews went out on three calls.

Fire at EMT’s home

Occasionally a squad member ends up being on the receiving end of the hose company or ambulance service. On the morning of Jan. 24, Eileen Lee, an EMT and squad member since 2002, was doing dishes when she heard a thud. She looked outside and discovered a chunk of concrete from the top of the chimney smoldering on the back deck.

As Lee tells the story, “I called down to John and Stephanie who were in the basement and asked if everything was all right with the woodburning stove down there. John said, ‘Yes,’ and asked why?�

After that, she said, “We pretty quickly realized we had a chimney fire.�

Her daughter, Stephanie, called 911. Later, news got out that the only item Lee grabbed as the family fled the house was her SVAS radio.

“It was really helpful for knowing what was happening,� she said. “I was never standing outside in a panic, I just felt that the Lakeville Hose Company would be here and they would take care of it. They were so efficient. And other than running a quick vacuum after they left, you would never know we had a fire. They were so great.�

Jumpfest injuries

The annual ski jumps, which are a big event for Salisbury, also loomed large for SVAS.

The squad stationed an ambulance and crew at Satre Hill Saturday and Sunday and in addition hosted a pancake breakfast fundraiser at their headquarters on Sunday, Feb. 7. There were 395 customers. While not a record, it made for a very busy morning.

Sunday was also a busy day for the ambulance crew as they treated three skiers; two of them had to be transported to Sharon Hospital. Jacquie Rice, chief of service, speculated that the high winds seemed to be a factor in the higher than usual number of injuries.

Fundraising is an ongoing effort. Jerry Baldwin from the Salisbury Rotary Club visited squad headquarters during the monthly meeting to present a check for $500 on behalf of his organization, for which the squad is very grateful.