BY JIMMY LAWTON
North Country This Week

OGDENSBURG – Ogdensburg Volunteer Rescue Squad is seeking volunteers following a tough year, made even harder by the pandemic.

This year the squad is on pace to respond to 2,500 calls.

OVRS Chief of Emergency Services Ken Gardner said that while the county and city do have a number of dedicated volunteers who give their time to help others, on a whole volunteerism just doesn’t have the same level of support it once did.

“We need volunteers, even before COVID New York State had a rash of organizations that have gone under because volunteering isn’t number one on peoples list like it used to be,” he said.

Gardner said OVRS had maintained well, but saw a drop off as COVID hit.

“And we get that, it’s created even more risk,” he said. “It’s not just us, I’m sure a lot of community groups that rely on volunteers faced the same problem.”

Gardner said some volunteers are returning now that vaccinations are available, but he says a recruitment drive will be needed.

For those who are interested, Gardner says becoming a volunteer rescuer is a life changing experience. He said the squad provides all training required and will help people achieve whatever level they are seeking.

“We provide any type of training they want, from emergency medical technician all the way up to paramedic,” he said. “We send people to conferences and classes and things like that and it can really open doors for people.”

Gardner said such skills can lead to good paying jobs, but beyond that he says there are other benefits to being a volunteer rescuer.

“You’ll have stories and see things you’ll remember forever. You’ll go through the full range of emotions. You’ll definitely laugh and you’ll go through some tough experiences, but you’ll have experiences that you carry with you forever,” he said.

Gardner says the connections made in volunteer service are long lasting bonds. He said the shared experiences create an atmosphere of trust and lifelong friendships.

For those interested in volunteering, who may be deterred by the pandemic, Gardner says vaccinations are available and stringent safety measures are in place to protect volunteers.

“We’re doing everything we can to keep everyone safe,” he said.

Those interested in volunteering or finding out more about the rescues squad can contact Gardner at 315-393-0837 or send an email to info@ogdensburgrescue.org

The Ogdensburg Volunteer Rescue Squad provides emergency ambulance service in a primary district consisting of the City of Ogdensburg, Town of Oswegatchie, Town of Depeyster, Village of Heuvelton. We provide ALS Intercept as well as mutual aid to the Village and Town of Morristown, the Village and Town of Hammond, the Village and Town of Waddington, as well as the Towns of Dekalb, Macomb, Lisbon, Hammond, Waddington, Hermon, Madrid, and Rensselaer Falls as needed. The Off-Shore Rescue Team responds to water related incidents throughout the county with the St. Lawrence County Underwater Recovery Team. Our Rescue/Vehicle Extrication Team has responded to numerous incidents also throughout St. Lawrence County.

In 2020, the squad responded to 1740 calls in the City of Ogdensburg with only 4 calls having to be mutual aided out and those are due to being either second or third calls.

In the other surrounding communities, they answered 621 additional calls. 48 in the town of Oswegatchie, 113 in the Village of Heuvelton, 100 in the Village of Lisbon, 39 in the Town and Village of Morristown, 41 in the Town and Village of Waddington, 74 in the Town and Village of Hammond, 10 In the village of Brier Hill, 11 in the Village of Rensselaer Falls and 5 in the Town of Depeyster.

The squad also took calls in the Town’s of Macomb, Russell, Hermon, Gouverneur, Dekalb, Madrid, Massena, Potsdam, Rossie and even in Redwood. In addition, members were available to many other agencies for ALS intercepts. OVRS also made itself available for 102 transfers from hospital to hospital, for critically ill patients, usually to Syracuse or Burlington VT.