The Lawrence Township First Aid Squad will hold a free CPR class from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 14.
By: Lea Kahn
Ask Tony Hannawacker why he volunteers his time as an emergency medical technician with the Lawrence Township First Aid Squad, and he’ll say it’s purely for selfish reasons.
"I enjoy the gratification I get from helping people," said Mr. Hannawacker, who has volunteered with the Lawrence squad for a year.
When not volunteering with the squad, Mr. Hannawacker, 43, of Rydal Drive, works nights as a critical care technician in the emergency room at Capital Health System’s Fuld Campus in Trenton, where he assists surgeons and emergency room physicians.
He said his volunteer work with the first aid squad in Lawrence has its benefits, though not financial.
"I’m not getting paid, and there is more flexibility," Mr. Hannawacker said. "I can volunteer when I want to. There is more camaraderie. You form a bond with other people."
Mr. Hannawacker is one of a handful of volunteers at the Lawrence Township First Aid Squad and more are needed, said squad Chief Dean Acquaviva.
The Lawrence Township First Aid Squad will hold a free CPR class from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 14 to allow those interested to learn basic rescue techniques, plus learn more about the squad.
Currently, 13 active volunteers staff the ambulances on Thursday and Friday nights, between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. Six of the 13 are state-certified EMTs. The rest are not certified, but are permitted to drive the ambulances, Mr. Acquaviva said.
"EMTs can drive the ambulance, but drivers don’t have to be EMTs," he said. "Some drivers don’t want to go (to school to become an EMT). That’s fine, as long as we have enough EMTs."
Ideally, there would be 20 certified volunteer EMTs, but having at least 14 volunteers would allow the squad to staff an ambulance every night not just Thursday and Friday, Mr. Acquaviva said.
The shortage of volunteer EMTs means Lawrence Township has had to find an alternative to provide emergency medical service in the evening, after the paid EMTs who work for the township during the daytime finish their shift.
Township officials signed an agreement with Vanguard Healthcare in August to provide nighttime coverage Saturdays to Wednesdays through December. The purpose is to allow the Lawrence squad some time to recruit new volunteers.
"Why should someone volunteer?" Mr. Acquaviva asked. "That’s a question that has thousands of answers, and every one is unique. There is not one single answer. Everyone has a reason."
College students enrolled in a pre-medical program may volunteer so they can list it on their resumes, he said. Other students want some solid experience, wanting to test the waters before deciding on a career in the health field, Mr. Acquaviva added.
For the chief, the motivation was watching his father’s health slowly decline. He decided to get involved and set an example for others, hoping to stir their interest in becoming volunteer EMTs, as well.
Becoming an EMT means taking a 120-hour course, paid for by the state Department of Health and Senior Services. The courses may meet for a few hours a couple of nights a week and for a few hours on Saturdays. Other courses may meet on a more intensive schedule.
"We will find a class that fits a person’s schedule," Mr. Acquaviva said.
The EMT course teaches students a little about anatomy and physiology, he said. Students also learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation, how to use an automated external defibrillator, how to assess a patient’s pulse, respiratory rate, blood pressure and more, he said.
"They drill into you how to ‘size up’ a scene and how to extract information from the scene diagnosing what happened to the person and how they got into the situation that they are in," Mr. Acquaviva said.
"It’s a fairly extensive program," he added. "When you think about it, most of the transports are very basic things a patient may have a temperature. You can feel very confident that you are handling the situation well."
Mr. Hannawacker said it’s human nature to want to help someone in trouble, and volunteering allows him to fulfill that need. People know when they pick up the phone to call the first aid squad for help, someone will show up on their doorstep, he said.
"I like the one-on-one contact you get on a call," he said. "At the hospital, you are spreading yourself out over a lot of people. You don’t get the contact that you do when you are in someone’s living room. It may be a small problem to us, but it’s a big emergency to them."

