GRAFTON — Forty years ago, no emergency medical services were available here. When an emergency did occur, residents had to call an ambulance company in Bellows Falls and hope it could respond in time.
In 1981, a group of residents formed a local EMS response group: the First Aid Stabilization Team, or FAST, Squad. Initially, this group had no vehicle and little in the way of equipment, “usually carrying what they needed in paper bags using their personal vehicles,” according to a news release commemorating the anniversary of the organization now known as the Grafton Rescue Squad.
During the remaining months of that first year, the FAST Squad responded to 11 calls to the ambulance service in Bellows Falls, which notified members to respond in the era before 911 service became available in 1990.
Today, Grafton Rescue Squad members have more advanced training and are able to provide a broader range of on-scene medical services.
They are alerted via pagers and by cell phone when service is available, and they are on scene 20 to 30 minutes before the ambulance arrives. The number of calls to which they respond now averages more than 70 calls each year, with last year having a record high of 88 calls.
For the first four years, Squad members responded with what limited gear they could quickly gather and carry in their personal vehicles. In 1985, a seven-year-old ambulance was donated by the Cranford, N.J., First Aid Squad.
Then, in 1993, this vehicle was replaced by another seven-year-old ambulance from Chelsea, Vt., which served until it was replaced in 2008 with a new custom designed multi-purpose rescue truck.
Squad members who respond first on scene will still typically arrive in their personal vehicles to expedite aid to the patient, but the rescue truck carrying a wide array of first aid supplies and medical equipment will be close behind.
Despite all the changes, the underlying tenets of the organization remain: a group of volunteers “will seek out the best possible training and equipment in order to provide free emergency medical care to the Grafton community 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
The effectiveness and dedication of the squad was recognized in 2009 when Vermont Emergency Medical Services named the organization the Vermont First Responder Service of the Year.
Over the past 40 years, 61 people have served as FAST or Rescue Squad members, usually numbering a dozen or so at any given time. The group now is comprised of 15 members whose certifications include advanced emergency medical technician, emergency medical technician, and emergency medical responder.
Under the leadership of Keith Hermiz, who has been named Vermont EMS Educator of the Year in 2019 and 2021, Grafton Rescue has taken the lead in training EMS, fire, and police responders throughout southern and central Vermont in the use of advanced CPR skills and updated techniques to stop bleeding.
New book highlights history
At the recent town picnic, the Squad had a display highlighting its 40-year history and introduced to the community a history of the FAST/Rescue Squad.
The book First on Scene, written by longtime Squad member David Ross, contains statistical information, photos, and reminiscences spanning the years between 1981 and 2021.
Proceeds from the book - priced at $11.50, including postage - benefit the Grafton Rescue Squad. To purchase, send payment to Grafton Rescue Squad, P.O. Box 54, Grafton, VT 05146.