CONWAY — The town’s ambulance department is recruiting interested locals in an attempt to fill a critical need for EMTs.
Ambulance Director Gemma VanderHeld said membership in the volunteer department — which ebbs and flows as people move in and out of the town of roughly 1,900 people — is down to four, including herself.
This makes for some difficult situations, as at least two EMTs are required to transport someone via ambulance. If, VanderHeld said, for whatever reason only one EMT can respond to a call, the ambulance department must contact mutual aid for a transport.
“More EMTs would take some pressure off the existing EMTs,” she said.
The department operates on an on-call system. EMTs are paid for the calls they go on. VanderHeld said she believes starting EMTs earn roughly $18 an hour. She said the busiest times for EMTs often come in waves.
“It’s not a dependable paycheck,” said VanderHeld, who has been with the department about 15 years.
According to the town’s website, the department “pays members for each call they answer, covers the cost of EMT licenses for those members who regularly respond to calls, and reimburses the cost of Massachusetts licensing classes for new, active EMTs.” The department also offers to pay up front the costs of an EMT class and state exams for anyone who agrees to get a license and work on the ambulance for at least one year.
VanderHeld, who works in sales at OESCO Inc., said the ambulance department needs people who truly care about their community and those who “want to be of service to other people for very little pay.” She said dedication and perseverance are the most important qualities of an EMT – and not being afraid of blood, she added.
Town Administrator Tom Hutcheson said the EMTs are an asset to Conway.
“Gemma, the director, and Chris Herrmann, the assistant ambulance director, have done a fantastic job,” he said. “We’re tremendously lucky to have them. We’re tremendously lucky to have an ambulance department. It’s been managed, I think, very well over the years, but I think the times are such that people are busier. A lot of people are out of town during the day. And people don’t necessarily have the flexibility to be able to drop things and go in an ambulance.”
Hutcheson said notices of the available positions with the department were sent to residents with this year’s tax bills.
VanderHeld said anyone interested in becoming an EMT can contact her by email at ambulance@townofconway.com or by phone at 413-369-4235, ext. 9.
“It’s a crazy job, but there’s something about it that just kind of hooks you,” she said.
Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 262.