May was the busiest month ever for the Haines ambulance squad, with 39 calls. That’s an increase of a dozen over the previous record, said fireman Al Badgley. 

The crew handled 15 medivac transports and treated patients for respiratory distress (3), altered level of consciousness (2), heart attacks (2), falls (2) and motor vehicle accidents (2). Single calls were received for a seizure, eye injury, abdominal pain and an extremity injury. Volunteers also participated in two funerals and were called out twice for standbys. So far this year, 102 calls have been received. 

Badgley said the high volume of traffic is difficult for the crew of mostly volunteers. “It’s a challenge right now,” he said. Although there are a dozen members of the ambulance squad, during summer only about 8 are regularly available. 

He encouraged residents interested in volunteering their time to attend a fire department meeting on the second or third Monday of the month, 7 p.m. in the fire hall.

“We’re trying to get people to join, but we don’t want any Joe Blow off the street,” he said. “Some people aren’t cut out for it.”

Serving on the squad isn’t something to be taken lightly, he said. Emergency Medical Technician certification is preferred and requires 140 hours of classroom and practical training. Familiarization with local procedures can take up to 2 years, he said.

Firefighters received 4 calls during May, bringing the year’s total to 9.