Car crashes, heart attacks, seizures, and difficulty breathing: What do all these have in common?

They are potentially life-threatening conditions that most of us will experience during our lifetime. Trauma is the leading cause of death for all people under age 44 and the leading cause of disability for people under age 65.

How much do you really know about emergency services?

You know you can dial 911 in an emergency, but did you realize that in most towns it is a group of volunteers who join the police in responding to cries for help?

There is a very special group of men and women, ranging in age from high school students through senior citizens, who work around the clock to respond to emergencies. Most of them volunteer their time, and all take extensive training.

You probably don't know their names, yet in your moment of crisis they are most likely to be the first faces you see.

I would like to publicly state my gratitude to this special group of men and women who give meaning to the word "service" and who often go beyond their official or volunteer duties to assist life.

They are living models for our kids and are important for us to support in every way we can.

Quiet Heroes
I still remember one quiet spring day when my daughter and I were finalizing dinner plans while driving along a scenic two-lane highway between Princeton Pike and Route 1 when the car in front of us suddenly left the road, impacted a tree, and bounced back onto the road sideways.

I watched this scene in slow motion, hoping the driver would gain control of the car before crashing, fearing for our safety. Fortunately, we were not hit and concern quickly shifted to the condition of the occupants of the other vehicle.

My daughter is an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) and volunteer member of our community First Aid and Rescue Squad. She quickly pulled our car up in front of the accident scene and went to check on the driver and passenger.

Within minutes another car pulled over and a young volunteer firefighter from a neighboring community rushed over saying, "I am an EMT. Can I help?"

As I watched these two young people working compassionately and professionally to assess the situation, I was filled with intense gratitude and awe. Their knowledge and willingness to put aside their plans and give service was refreshing.

Afterwards, I continued to be struck by the fact that within a few minutes of this accident, two unrelated EMTs had appeared on the scene.

I began to realize how many such highly trained volunteer citizens we must have in our area, how unaware I was of this large population, and how much they complement existing paid emergency services every single day.

It is hard to obtain and retain an adequate number of trained EMS volunteers. Our task as community members is to find creative ways of thanking these men and women and encouraging their further participation.

Some low- or no-cost efforts towns have implemented to thank EMS volunteers include:

* Short- and long-term disability insurance provisions funded by the community
* Waiver of property taxes, motor vehicle fees, and other municipal fees
* Store and restaurant discounts
* Free child daycare while a parent is on-call

 After 9-11, when our nation was living in gratitude for emergency responders, many movie theaters, retail businesses and restaurants offered discounts to EMS volunteers.

Such simple "thank you" symbols are all but missing today.

I am sure we can come up with additional creative ways for our community to say thanks to this dedicated population.

It is a small investment to ensure that no one who calls in an emergency crisis will get a "busy" signal.   

Judy Shepps Battle is a New Jersey resident, addictions specialist, consultant and freelance writer. She can be reached by e-mail at writeaction@aol.com. Additional information on this and other topics can be found at her website at http://www.writeaction.com/.

Copyright 2009 Judy Shepps Battle