Little Silver EMS crewmembers Mike Very, Liz Uliano, Chris Faherty and Carolyn Bogdon hope to bring in a few new volunteers at an open house Sunday. (Photo by Dustin Racioppi; click to enlarge)
By DUSTIN RACIOPPI
Some things are certain if you join Little Silver’s EMS squad. Sirens, stretchers and blood are a given.
Other things, not so much.
Like meeting your future spouse or, working alongside your uncle who never intended to join, but liked the idea of driving an ambulance both of which happened to Liz Uliano.
“That’s a story that a lot of people have, like, oh, I just want to drive,” said Uliano, the 22-year-old squad vice president. “Then they get addicted.” She got to know her fiancé, police officer and EMS captain, Peter Giblin, through the squad.
Uliano and the other volunteers in Little Silver want more people addicted. So they’ve planned a day to showcase the squad in hopes it will bring on new members to help carry the call load.
With 38 volunteers, at least half of whom regularly respond to some 600 calls a year, the squad isn’t necessarily hurting for new members, said Chris Faherty. But an extra body or two to help shoulder the work goes a long way, he said.
And he said there could be a whole group of people out there, from recent high school graduates to new residents, who may want to take up a challenge like this, but aren’t aware of the opportunity.
“We just thought we haven’t had an influx of new members in a while,” Uliano said. “If we had an opportunity for people to come down and meet our members and get information, they’d be more inclined to join.”
So Sunday, the squad, along with the borough’s fire company, will hold an open house designed to inform, recruit and socialize.
One goal of the squad, for anybody who’s already crunched for time but has a flame for volunteering, is to underscore a point Uliano makes: “We really don’t require a lot.”
“I think we’re going to debunk a lot of myths and misconceptions about what it’s all about,” Faherty, 20, said. “If you’re going on one call a month, you’re helping us out.”
Little Silver, despite being a small and quiet town, has its fair share of calls requiring an ambulance, Faherty said. And it’s constantly helping out other towns like Shrewsbury, Oceanport and Red Bank, he said.
“For any adrenaline junkie,” Uliano said, “this is it.”
The open house begins at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Little Silver Fire Department, 543 Prospect Avenue. All are welcome.
