With the advent of actions leading up to this country's revolutionary war, Holmdel (or as it was known in those days, Pleasant Valley) residents left their fields, locked up their shops, kissed their families goodbye, and went to serve a cause that they knew in their hearts was right. Similarly, less than 100 years later, once again the residents of Holmdel put down their plowshares to take up arms in this country's war-between-the-states. Our ancestors thought nothing about volunteering for a cause they felt strongly about.

Volunteering is still alive and well in Holmdel. However, the muskets and longrifles have been replaced with blood pressure cuffs, stethoscopes and defibrillators. The horse-drawn carts have been replaced with state-of-the-art ambulances optimized with the latest rescue equipment.

While it took quite a bit of fortitude to volunteer in Holmdel's early days, for the Holmdel First Aid Squad volunteers the task is not as difficult.

We are currently looking for volunteers to become members of the squad and service the community as Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT's).

First, we will train you in CPR and have you certified. Second, to become an EMT we will enroll you in one of the classes that are held locally. It's that simple.

Both state and local governments recognize the desperate need for volunteers in New Jersey communities. To this effort, there are a number of bills currently before state legislature including college tuition reimbursement and potentially waving NJ driver's license and registration fees for volunteers serving in local municipalities.

The Holmdel First Aid Squad is made up of 45 members. So far, year to date through April 2000, we have answered 274 calls, averaging 69 calls per month, with 65% occurring during the daytime shift of 6AM to 7PM, and 35% occurring during the evening shift of 7PM to 6AM.

We need volunteers for both our daytime and evening shifts, so if you join the squad, we'll work with you on accommodating the time to meet your personal needs. We all have families and we all work and can appreciate how difficult it is to fit something else in to an already overcrowded schedule. But somehow we manage, and so can you. And you'll be glad you did.

And, don't forget we're getting ready for our fall garage sale, so as you conduct your spring cleaning of the basement or attic, we are currently taking donations.

For more information, please contact the Holmdel First Aid Squad at 946-3239. [or follow directions at top of this page]