Our speakers today were two senior representatives of the Summit Volunteer First Aid Squad: Laura Benevento, Chief of the Squad, and Leah Griffith, President of the board of trustees.
The presentation began with a brief overview of the Squad’s history. It was started by two Summit residents, Sis Barker and Betty Bangs, in 1962. From the outset, it was an all-volunteer operation. Overlook hospital donated an old ambulance and the City assisted in finding space for the construction of a facility to house the equipment and volunteers. Over the years the squad grew and added responsibilities as well as coordinated with other similar operations in nearby communities.
Today, the Squad has eighty adult members, thirty-one affiliate and junior members, three ambulances and one special purpose vehicle. They are on call seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day. Each responding volunteer is trained to become an EMT. There are no specific requirements to becoming a volunteer. There is a program for young people to volunteer with the possibility of graduating into the full program. In addition to the eighty adult members and thirty-one affiliate and junior members, there are one hundred and fifty-three retired members. So, the roots of this organization run deep in Summit.
The Squad receives no funding from the City or State – it is all volunteer and operates on a budget of approximately $450,000 a year which does not include its capital expenditures – a new ambulance costs well over $400,000, fully equipped. Revenues come from community support as well as grants from various foundations.
In 2024, the Squad responded to over two thousand calls of various intensity, including twelve CPRs. When emergencies strike, be they fires, car accidents, at home crises and/or traumas, our Summit Volunteer First Aid Squad is there to assist in a variety of capacities.
We thank Laura and Leah for visiting and informing the Rotarians of the outstanding service they provide to Summit and the surrounding communities. For a further look at the Squad, visit their website at: https://summitems.org/
Laura Benevento, Leah Griffith, David Dietze & Susan Haig