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Members of the Atlantic Highlands First Aid & Safety Squad, Atlantic Highlands Mayor Fred Rast, borough officials as well as friends and family turned out recently to honor the dedicated service of life members Walter Curry and Beverly Glynn to the all-volunteer squad.
Curry was honored for his 50 years of service to the AHFAS, while Glynn was honored for her 30 years of service.
Rast read a Borough proclamation noting their work for the squad and the borough. Rast said the work of dedicated volunteers like Glynn and Curry are what makes Atlantic Highlands “a wonderful town.”
Curry joined the squad in 1963 and is currently the treasurer. He’s also been a squad captain, president and held multiple other positions. Glynn joined in 1983 and is currently the assistant secretary. She’s also a past captain, and has held a variety of other positions in the organization as well.
Glynn and Curry were presented certificates acknowledging their commitment to service from the New Jersey State First Aid Council, the organization that represents many volunteer EMS agencies in the state.
Members of the Glynn and Curry families were on hand for the event.
“It has been a pleasure. It’s been a lot of fun,” Curry said after receiving his award.
“I also really have to thank my family,” he continued, “because they have missed out on a lot of things because I was on a first aid call or a fire call.”
For more than 80 years, the Atlantic Highlands First Aid & Safety Squad has been providing free emergency medical and rescue services to the borough. The all-volunteer organization operates on donations from the community. Follow the squad at www.facebook.com/AHFIRSTAID or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/AHFIRSTAID. For information call (732) 291-8118.
| | Hits: 96Dear Friends,
Through a year of storms and snow, power outages and sunny days, the Atlantic Highlands First Aid & Safety Squad has faithfully served the community. No matter what the weather conditions were - or time of day - we have been there to provide free award-winning emergency medical services to you, our friends and neighbors.
Just as you have come to depend on us being there promptly after you dial 9-1-1, we’ve come to depend on your financial generosity through our annual fund drive to continue to provide this critical free service to the community. Each year, your tax-deductible donations help our all-volunteer organization provide this service by funding the purchase of medical supplies and key devices to help us better serve you.
Our world is your world, so we experience the same financial challenges and increased costs. This impacts the squad at the same time the demand for our service has hit record levels. The squad responded to a record 635 calls in 2012, up more than 50% from 2010. As we all know, 2012 was a tough year marked by Hurricane Sandy. When Sandy hit, members willingly left their homes and families behind to stay at the EMS building 24/7 for more than a week. During the storm, they braved floodwaters for a call for boaters in distress and responded to serious health emergencies.
However, none of this can be done without you. Your donation sends a clear message to our members and the rest of the community that you appreciate the squad’s commitment to serving the borough of Atlantic Highlands.
For as little as $1 dollar a week, or $52 a year, you can show you care. Fact is, this fund drive only generates about half of our annual operating budget, so larger donations are greatly appreciated.
We are a 501c3 non-profit organization so there are a variety of ways in which you can give ranging from donations, planned gifts, corporate donations and work-place matching programs. For information about donating or becoming a member, please call our non-emergency number, (732) 291-8118 or visit our website at www.ahfirstaid.com. Also follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ahfirstaid and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ahfirstaid.
Please take this moment to help the AHFAS. Your contribution is an investment in your future. By helping us, you’re assuring we’ll be there when you need us most.
Sincerely,
Walter Curry
Treasurer
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ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS - Members of the Atlantic Highlands First Aid & Safety Squad will assist Santa in travelling through the streets of borough the week of Dec. 3, 2012.
Weather permitting from Dec. 3 through Dec. 6, AHFAS elves will help Santa visit a part of town each night from 6 PM to 9 PM, where he’ll chat with children and family, hand out candy canes, and collect donations of food to be delivered to the Atlantic Highlands Food Pantry.
“Preparations for Santa’s visit have been underway for months,” says AHFAS chief Tom Hayden.“This is a great way to kick off the holiday season in Atlantic Highlands.”
This year, as the squad has done for the past several years, the AHFAS is asking residents for donations of non-perishable food items for the Atlantic Highlands Food Pantry.
“Hurricane Sandy has put a strain on area resources,” says Hayden. “Our goal is to use the Santa visits as a way to help restock the shelves at the food pantry, which is a vital community resource.”
Once again, Santa will participate in social media during his travels.Children – and their parents – can follow the AHFAS squad on social media to find out where he is and communicate with his elves for a sense of when he might be visiting their neighborhood. A night-by-night map will be posted atwww.ahfirstaid.com. Santa’s elves will update his position each night via Twitter (www.Twitter.com/ahfirstaid) and Facebook. (www.facebook.com/ahfirstaid).
“We got a great response to Santa’s social media efforts last year,” says Hayden.“This year, we’ll post pictures along the way as well as real-time location information.”
The AHFAS is an all-volunteer emergency medical and rescue services organization serving the borough of Atlantic Highlands and occasionally the surrounding areas. The squad operates on donations from the borough and the community. For information call the AHFAS non-emergency number (732) 291-8118 or log onto www.ahfirstaid.org, Twitter or Facebook.
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ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS - Members of the Atlantic Highlands First Aid & Safety Squad, the Atlantic Highlands Fire Department and Colts Neck First Aid recently spent a Saturday morning wrecking cars in order to help others.
The cutting, breaking and ripping was all part of a vehicle extrication drill held at Red Bank Recycling in Red Bank, NJ.
Red Bank Recycling generously donated two cars, manpower to move the vehicles and space so the volunteer first responders could practice necessary skills to remove people from car wrecks.
“Partnering with Red Bank Recycling allowed the Squad to simulate collisions that we could encounter in the field,” said AHFAS Chief Tom Hayden. “ We are appreciative of their efforts to help improve our vehicle stabilization and extrication skills.”
Over the course of five hours, members of the two organizations practiced stabilizing a vehicle on its side, removing the roof, doors and windows, and preparing how to move a patient.
The drill was one of several held each year dealing with vehicle extrication and stabilization.
“Our members need to be prepared for the worst and motor vehicle collisions are very dynamic,” Hayden said. “These drills are vital to keeping our skills sharp and equipment fresh. It is also a great opportunity to train with the fire department, with whom we work very close.”
