May 19 through 25 is national Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Week, and while the Twin W First Aid Squad of West Windsor has plenty of festivities planned (see listings below), it also has a more serious goal: To attract new volunteers, says President Jan Sun.
“Currently we have approximately 20 active volunteers,” says Sun. Fewer than 10 are adults who have been on the squad for at least two years. Says Sun: “We would like to increase our adult membership by 10 this year.” Full-fledged members can be as young as 18.
In addition, Twin W has a cadet program for students ages 16 and 17. “The cadets are a very important part of our organization,” Sun says. “They serve as volunteers and then they often go into the medical field. Some come back after college to serve on our squad. For instance our current deputy chief, Arjune Kalawar, was a cadet.”
Another goal of Twin W’s extensive EMS week celebration is to rebuild its reputation and its level of trust with the township in the aftermath of the controversial “Fur-BQ” party hosted at its squad house last summer. Partly as a result of that episode (WW-P News, July 6, 2012), and an ensuing shut down of the squad’s operations for a brief time in August, the squad’s relationship with the township has now been formalized in a memorandum of understanding — see story, page 10. “The atmosphere was terrible,” says Sun, “and it was very hard to negotiate anything.”
But now that both parties are moving forward, Sun, who became president in January, is focused on attracting more members. “Twin W is made up completely of volunteers,” says Sun. “We answer medical emergency calls made to 911. We administer first aid on the scene, and then will transport the person to a local hospital if necessary.”
“We are the first responders on calls from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Monday through Friday, and 5 p.m. to 7 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays. During the day, the paid West Windsor emergency staff are the first responders. But we do answer second calls as well. If the Township squad is already out on a call with its ambulance, then we get called. We also answer mutual aid calls from with nearby towns.”
“Quite often we can’t answer second calls, because we don’t have enough resident volunteers,” Sun says. “Then the neighboring towns get called, but they can take longer to answer because they are farther away. We need more volunteers. You don’t have to be a West Windsor resident to be a volunteer, but many on the squad are, and we would prefer to have more because they can get here quicker.
“One of the reasons we have more trouble attracting volunteers than other organizations, such as the fire departments, is because becoming an EMT requires more training, and so can be more of a time commitment. It takes about one year for classroom and on-the-job training to become an EMT. Some people take as long as two or three years before they feel comfortable riding as a part of a two-person crew.”
“Plus, our turnover is higher — some people turn over every two years, so it becomes harder to find trained volunteers. Generally, ‘riding volunteers’ ride a whole night, from 7 to 7, one night a week,” Sun says.
However, not all volunteers need to be trained EMTs. “We accept associate volunteers, who help out with the administrative tasks and help organize and run the station. Four associate volunteers started this year, and that really helps, because it frees up the EMTs to go out on more calls.”
Says Sun: “We could really use an associate volunteer to help with the scheduling of shifts. That would cut down on the workload of the line officers, who are in charge of scheduling as well as everything else once a call comes in.”
One associate volunteer is helping the squad by making more bunk-beds, so that more volunteers can sleep over at the station during storms or other emergencies, and thus respond faster to emergency calls. Lowe’s also gave Twin W a discount on the lumber needed to build the bunk beds.
“Our annual budget is usually $120,000. We receive some funding from the Township — $45,000 per year. The rest we receive in donations. That’s why we spend time fundraising as well, because we really need the donations.
“Every year, the national EMS week has a theme. This year’s theme is ‘one mission, one team,’ which I think is very much in line with what Twin W is trying to work on this year: better working relationships with the Township and the other emergency companies. But I like last year’s theme even more: being an EMT is more than just a job, it is a calling. We are looking for individuals who will be committed to Twin W, people for whom being an EMT is a calling.”
Born in Taiwan, Sun moved to the United States when she was 10. At Cornell she received an undergraduate degree in operations research industrial engineering. She then went to Syracuse University for a master’s in computer engineering. She worked for many years as a manufacturing engineer, and later as process and software consultant.
Jan and her husband, Jim Hwang, moved to West Windsor in 1986. Jim is a professor of electrical engineering at Lehigh University and currently on sabbatical and working for the U.S. Air Force. “We also moved to West Windsor to be closer to my family in New Jersey, and because of the good schools here,” said Sun.
She has five children: Eileen, Jason, and Andy, who have already graduated from college, and Austin and Simon, currently attending college. “I stopped working, even part-time, after the birth of my fifth child.”
Sun became involved with Twin W through her daughter, Eileen, who started volunteering for the squad when she was 16 and is still a volunteer there. “I had been part of the Township Human Relations committee, and am also involved with my church, Princeton Alliance. But I wanted to become even more involved in the community.
“So I decided to join Twin W with my daughter. I have been a trustee, membership committee chairperson, and then was elected president. My term started in January. We need to change some things at Twin W, and I thought as president possibly I could make those changes.”
Sun highlighted some of Twin W’s EMS week’s activities:
Opening ceremony, Sunday, May 19, at 4 p.m. Dedication of a memorial to former Twin W volunteer Sean Kehler, who died unexpectedly in 2011 at the age of 41. Kehler had been a member of Twin W since he was 16 years old, and a West Windsor resident for 35 years. He also served in the Princeton Junction Fire Company.
Tuesday, May 21, daytime CPR class for residents, their families and friends. A second CPR class will be Friday, May 24.
Wednesday, May 22, Children’s Day. Kids visit the squad. house. Police will give a presentation on stranger danger, and how and when to call 911.
Thursday, May 23, movie night co-sponsored by the West Windsor Library. “Patch Adams” will be screened, with a discussion after.
Saturday, May 25, Applebee’s flapjack fundraiser, which will be run by Twin W’s cadets, or squad members under age 18. The cadets will be hosting, bussing the tables, and serving the pancakes, sausage, and beverages. Squad members have been selling tickets door-to-door, and they will also be available on the Twin W website: www.twinw.org.
