Friends needed to keep friends safe

By Andra Moss

When emergency strikes in Norfolk, a cadre of volunteers comes running. Usually, first on the scene of a medical emergency is the Norfolk Ambulance crew, an all-volunteer corps that provides community protection 365 days a year. Ambulance volunteers have proven their dedication to the community for over seven decades, and the Norfolk Lions Club Ambulance (NLCA) is putting out a call for new “Friends” interested in becoming involved. For those seeking to support NLCA, but who may not necessarily wish to be part of on-scene emergency response or medical operations, Friends is a way to lend a much-needed hand. 

When a local 911 emergency medical call comes in, the NLCA responds. A separate organization, known as the Lions Club of Norfolk, provides funding for the ambulance. Originally founded in Norfolk in 1951 to fund and purchase the town’s first ambulance, over time Lions Club volunteers have stepped in to help with administrative tasks such as doing the books “so the ambulance volunteers don’t have to worry about anything besides their difficult job saving lives,” says Kitty Hickcox, chief of the Norfolk Ambulance. 

 In response to recent interest, the Norfolk Ambulance is reviving a group known as the “Friends of the Ambulance.” Friends members will learn what the ambulance corps does, become part of the NLCA community and offer a helping hand in any number of ways. Says NLCA President Madeline Falk, “Friends could be people with experience organizing or who want to work on a committee.” One project need, for example, involves inventorying the personal protective equipment received by the NLCA during the pandemic. The Norfolk Ambulance is currently in a strategic initiative planning period and, says Falk, would “welcome those willing to help with capital campaigns or contribute other ideas. There are a variety of small and large projects that we can use help with. The other volunteers are doing so much already, it would be wonderful to have this support.” 

Every person involved with the NLCA volunteers their time. For Norfolk Ambulance to remain certified, the state of Connecticut. requires emergency coverage 24 hours a day, seven days a week, year-round. Each response crew requires a medically trained Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and Emergency Medical Responder (EMR). Norfolk also, uniquely, has volunteer ambulance drivers. 

According to Hickcox, Norfolk is “one of fewer than 10 ambulance services in the state—out of 180—that don’t bill a dime to insurance. We run on a shoestring. The town underwrites the ambulance’s fuel, insurance and the building. The Lions Club manages the other half through an annual appeal. Most people don’t realize that we don’t bill.” 

The only way this can be sustained is to feed more volunteers into the system. If a Friend is interested in greater involvement, they might consider becoming a driver, as Jim Powelzyk did. 

Powelzyk was recruited by Training Officer and current EMT Bill Brodnitzki. “I had that application for over a year on my kitchen table,” recalls Powelzyk. “But then I realized that I just really wanted to help.” That was three years ago, and he is now the driver representative who trains new volunteers on emergency driving skills. For Powelzyk, “being prepared means training for all situations.” New drivers learn to use the lights and onboard GPS, run the siren and communicate on the radio. Once they are familiar with the rig, he takes them out with him on calls. “Hands on,” he says, “is really how you learn. Each call if different, so the more you see, the more you’re ready to do.” 

Once fully trained, drivers take on dedicated shifts as well as gather at headquarters during emergency situation, such as April’s concentrated storm cell that left many in Norfolk without power. Had an evacuation of Meadowbrook Senior Housing residents been necessary, the ambulance corps was at the ready. Drivers additionally donate their time at events where the ambulance is on stand-by, such as the annual Rails to Trails bike race, Memorial Day Road Race and Weekend in Norfolk festivities. 

It isn’t all just lights and sirens. Volunteers can also enjoy the special activities, dinners and barbeques planned for the Friends. The camaraderie and satisfaction of giving back to one’s community are an additional bonus at every level of involvement, reminds Lions Club President George Vinick. “Being on the ambulance is a very exciting thing to do—much more interesting than what many people do for a living. It’s exciting and rewarding. We’re all trying to keep a town tradition alive.” 

Interested Friends and other volunteers can visit the NLCA on Instagram at NLCAambulance or call the office at 860-542-5077.