Life in the really fast lane

Warwick - Pager tones send the message of someone in need: “Respond to the bay ... jump into the rig and go.” This is the type of scenario that the teenagers of the Warwick Ambulance Junior Corps have been training for since the group was established in 1996. Since then the Junior Corps has grown, this year alone from 11 members in September to its maximum membership of 30 in April. Every month, we meet as a group to learn new skills that will be vital for when we respond on calls, skills such as First Aid, CPR, splinting, recognizing and handling drug and alcohol poisoning and taking vital signs, among others. Corps members also have participated pool rescues at the high school and our own extrication drills with the Fire Department. When we reach the age of 17, we actually ride with the senior members as part of the “duty crew;” at 18 we can join as a senior member. The Warwick Ambulance Junior Corps recently participated in Orange County EMS Day competition on May 7, doing very well in the drills. Youth Corps members also were “the victims’ at the townwide Mass Casualty Drill on April 29. Some of the 17-year-olds also participated in the mock crash for SADD as responders on May 9. If you want to see us in action, be at any of the parades in Warwick this year; you can see us “saving” the marchers with some cool refreshments during the walk. Amy Krieger is a member of the Warwick Junior Ambulance Corps.