Sound Investment

When I was growing up in rural upstate New York in the 1970s the Edmeston Volunteer Fire Department, as it was named then, raised money by selling calendars. The birthdays and anniversaries of all contributors were listed on the appropriate dates. The calendars hung in our kitchen, and I enjoyed seeing who else in the community shared my family’s birthdays. It has been nearly twenty years since I moved away, and I do not think the fire department sells calendars any more. At least I don’t see any in my parents’ kitchen when I visit. But I do know that the still all-volunteer Edmeston Emergency Squad, as it is now called, saved my father’s life on March 21 of this year when a falling tree limb struck him in the face. So it was with considerable emotion that I read “Rescue Squad,” by Jack Kelly, in the May/June issue. I thank God for the vision and determination of Julian Stanley Wise and others like him to establish a nationwide rescue system for everyone; I applaud each and every volunteer EMT and paramedic for his or her selfless service; and I hope other readers recognize what a sound investment a small donation to a volunteer fire department or rescue squad really is.