BHVRS Hosting a Flower/Plant For Relay For Life Team May 15th
The Berkeley Heights Volunteer Rescue Squad (BHVRS) will be hosting a Flower/Plant sale to raise money to be donated on behalf of the BHVRS Relay for Life Team – BH EMS (Bringing Hope Every Minute to Survivors). The Plant Sale will be held on Sunday, May 15 at the Squad building (378 Snyder Ave) from 11am to 3pm. There will also be a selection of mouthwatering baked goods to purchase. Please come out and support both the rescue squad and your community, all while raising money for a great cause. All proceeds will be donated to Relay for Life and The American Cancer Society.
The cadets are very involved with supporting the community. Every year they hold a holiday food drive to raise awareness and aid the fight for hunger in our community and across the nation. Food items collected are donated to the Community Food Bank of NJ, which distributes food to feeding programs at some 1,500 nonprofit charities including shelters, soup kitchens, after school programs and senior centers in NJ. The cadets are also instrumental in hosting and organizing a blood drive every year on Black Friday.
The BHVRS is proud to have been an integral part of the community since 1942. Whatever their reason for joining, the BHVRS offers members an opportunity to become part of a supportive, like-minded community of dedicated men and women. Long-standing member and current Vehicles Lieutenant Bill Schulz re-started the squad’s cadet program in 2008. In its early years, the cadets were primarily the children of members but the program has since evolved to be mainly students from surrounding high schools.
Governor Livingston sophomore Cate Dougherty says, “I decided to volunteer at the Berkeley Heights Volunteer Rescue Squad as a way to learn some basic medical skills, as I have been thinking of pursuing a career in medicine. What was supposed to be just an after-school activity, deciding-what-I-should-do-with-my-life venture, has become something so much more as its own special part in my weekly life.” For many of the cadets, it is an opportunity to test out a career in the medical industry and gain a valuable set of skills, all while learning the ins and outs of the Emergency Medical System (EMS) in a hands-on and integrative way. The cadets meet as a whole every month to go over skills and various trainings to prepare them for different types of calls they might see. They practice with equipment, prepare the ambulances at the start of their shift, and fill out call sheets using mock-up patient information. The cadet meetings are the perfect mix between having fun on a Wednesday evening and embracing the opportunity to learn as much as possible about the EMS system.
Every cadet is very eager to learn more and continue their education. The program not only trains students in EMS, but allows them to respond to emergency calls as well. The cadets train in CPR, First-aid, and receive hands on training during emergency situations. Cadets serve as an integral part of the workings of every call. Depending on their level of experience and time riding with the squad, cadets have many jobs while on a call ranging from recording patient’s information on a call sheet, assisting the patient with their oxygen, or taking the patient’s vitals, with an Emergency Medical Technician is present(EMT).
There are a number of cadets that obtain their EMT license while handling their numerous other responsibilities and volunteering with the BHVRS. The squad encourages its cadets to further their education and if the cadet has proven to be a valued member, BHVRS will fund their EMT certification course. The squad highly values their cadets and members are eager to assist them by answering their questions or serving as study partners. Nicole Segalini, a junior at GL, says, “The rescue squad is a group of the most caring and dedicated people I’ve ever met. As soon as I joined they made me feel like one of the family and being a member on the squad means the world to me.”
Whether you are interested in riding on the ambulance or would prefer to help organize community events, the BHVRS is always looking for people who are eager to lend a hand. The squad is staffed 100% by volunteers, 24 hours a day, every day of the year and is funded primarily through donations.
For more information on the squad, making a donation or volunteering with the Berkeley Heights Volunteer Rescue Squad, visit their website at bhvrs.org, call 908-464-0013, or email membership@BHVRS.org.
