Ambulance company goes above call of duty
Most people view an ambulance as just a vehicle that transports sick or injured patients to the hospital. The men and women who staff Boyertown Lions Community Ambulance Service. view themselves differently.
Case in point. Recently, an 86-year-old male, hooked up to a cardiac heart monitor, sits on his couch at his home in Douglas Township. Attending him are personnel from the Boyertown Ambulance. The crew administers oxygen, takes his blood pressure and extracts a blood sample. His 74-year-old wife begins to sob. A squad member notices, goes to the woman’s side and places an arm on her shoulder to comfort her.
Later, upon arrival at the hospital, the husband goes into cardiac arrest. At this point, the wife becomes hysterical. Once again, ambulance personnel come to her aid. They escort her to a chair, sit with her to comfort and calm her, and await results from the hospital physicians. Fifteen minutes, a doctor comes out of the emergency room. “They were successful in saving the man’s life,” he reported. Upon hearing the news, ambulance personnel wish the best to the woman and her husband and return to their station.
For the wife, the comfort and caring response of ambulance personnel in her time of crisis meant a great deal to her.
On a recent Friday afternoon, the woman paid a visit to the ambulance station on 2nd Street. “I just want to show my thanks for coming to my husband’s aid,” she told Ryan Billings, newly appointed director of medical service. “And I wanted to show my appreciation for how the ambulance personnel went above and beyond the call of duty to make sure I was okay.” She then handed Billings a box of donuts to “How is he doing?” inquired Billings. “He is doing well,” said the wife,” but he’s on a lot of medication. God was certainly on our side that day.” Billings stood up from his desk, shook her hand and thanked her for the donuts. “Please give him our very best,” he said.
This was not the first time that a grateful resident has paid a visit to the ambulance station to express his or her thanks for the squad’s caring service. Since he has been with Boyertown Ambulance, over a dozen times residents have come to the station to thank personnel for aiding their loved ones, he recalled. “We want our residents to know that we care about them and that they are more than welcome to come to our station, meet the crew, look at our medical equipment and ask us questions.”