SVFAS Celebrates 60 Years of Service
As it enters its seventh decade of service, the Summit Volunteer First Aid Squad (SVFAS) is actively seeking new members to join its team. Members include men and women of all ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds that are united by a strong desire to help others. Most new members have no prior medical experience. All required training and necessary equipment to become a first responder is provided by the Squad at no cost to the trainee. Most members ultimately pursue their EMT certification; the cost is generally covered by the State of New Jersey.
To help assess whether one is interested in joining the team, the SVFAS offers an observer program that allows prospective volunteers to accompany a working crew for a shift or two. These “ride-along” opportunities provide an experience of what being a first responder is like before any commitment is made.
“Many of our members have been with us for more than a decade or two, including one member of the Squad family that recently retired after 46 years,” explains SVFAS President Kevin Caropreso. “Neighbors Helping Neighbors is both our motto and our mission, and fulfilling it is an incredible experience that is hard to match. If you would like to know that feeling, please take the next step and volunteer.”
Since 1962 SVFAS volunteers have been providing emergency medical services to the Summit community. No patient has ever received a bill for services. The Squad is funded exclusively by donations from private citizens and foundations, receiving no funding from the City of Summit. All members are volunteers, who seek no compensation for providing help to their neighbors when it is needed most.
For more information, or to inquire about joining the SVFAS team, please visit our website, summitems.org/join. You may also pick up an application at the Squad’s headquarters at 1000 Summit Avenue, or call Kerry Whitcher, Personnel Lieutenant, at 908-277-9479.
