South Windsor- On Friday, August 30th, 2019, Ambulance Service of Manchester EMT’s Danielle Chowaniec and Chris Tevnan spent the morning at Timothy Edwards Middle School assisting with a week 1 School Safety event organized by SWPD. Teamed up with local first responders including the CT State Police Dive Team, South Windsor Fire Department and South Windsor Police Department, ASM interacted with the children and provided them with a hands-on experience as they rotated through over 10 stations.
“I am J. Marshall Thomson and I live in Crested Butte Colorado. My medic journey Started more than 50 years ago when my mother was in a horrific ski accident. If it wasn’t for the on-hill and pre-hospital care of the Ski Patrol and local EMS service, my mother would not have survived. Growing up an avid skier in VT and hearing of my mother’s story I always wanted to be a ski patroller helping others. I became an EMT in 2008 and joined the Crested Butte Mountain Resort Ski Patrol and Avalanche Dog Rescue Team. Over the years, I spent a lot of time traveling while competing in mountain running, ski mountaineering and was a member of the US National Ski Mountaineering team competing at the world championships. Although racing and competing gave me unforgettable experiences and travels all over the world, I never felt the same sense of pride and accomplishment that I do from being a member of a ski patrol team and helping those in need. My wife always says, I am happiest when I have the cross on my back.”
“I wanted to become a paramedic to better my knowledge and skills while providing an increased level of care to help my ski patrol, local Fire/EMS and community. My background and experience are in Ski Patrol and Avalanche SAR, I had never worked on an ambulance for an EMS service. The lack of traditional EMS experience was going to be one of my biggest challenges. With Crested Butte having a population of around 3000 people, I wanted to find a service for my ride time that would have the greatest benefit for me to learn and move forward in my paramedic career. Learning from a service with progressive protocols, high call volume, high level of critical care, longer transport times and highly experienced preceptors willing to teach was very important to me. ASM seemed to be the perfect fit, after speaking with ASM I knew that it would be worth leaving my family and traveling 2000 miles for the best Paramedic field experience possible.”
“My experience at ASM was invaluable. The entire team went above and beyond to make me feel welcome, I was a member of the team and not just a student. Every EMT I worked with was willing to take the time to teach me the basics of being on a truck and how the system works. I was fortunate for the patience everyone had with me and willingness to assist in the entire process of learning. My preceptors at ASM were amazing with an indispensable wealth of knowledge. Everyone had their own passion for EMS and a desire to teach and willingness to spend extra time to discuss calls, treatments and differential diagnosis. My lead preceptor took charge and control of my education making sure that I was learning and improving. He would follow up with other preceptors making sure I was on the correct path, continuing to discuss my progress and performance. I am forever grateful for the experience I had with ASM and I am looking forward to taking what I have learned back to the Mountains and communities of Colorado.”
HARTFORD- On Monday August 28th, 2019, employees from the Ambulance Service of Manchester and Aetna Ambulance enjoyed a night of baseball honoring “First Responder’s”. A Post Size American Flag was brought out on the field as part of the Pre-Game festivities and served as a visual expression of support, during the playing of our National Anthem. The Yard Goats pulled off an impressive win over the Harrisburg Senators (5–1).
SOUTH WINDSOR- On Saturday, September 19th ASM’s Elizabeth Dowdy and Jonathan Bush took part in a traditional “Raksha Bandhan” Festival held at South Windsor Fire Department’s Headquarters. Raksha Bandhan is a Hindu festival that celebrates the relationship between brothers and sisters, and families, on the full moon of the Hindu month of Shravana. This festival originated when sisters used to tie a band around their brothers/ uncles wrists as a token of appreciation & love. Over a period, it has become an event to celebrate & recognize anyone working to keep society safe. Ambulance Service of Manchester would like to thank Saturday’s organizers for allowing us to participate in this amazing event.
Glastonbury — On August 13th, 2019 ASM Paramedic Adam Fine along with EMT’s Esther Gibbs and Danielle Kamenskiy visited KinderCare in Glastonbury for “Show and tell”. Adam, Esther and Danielle fielded questions from the eager group of 25 kids while giving tours of the ambulance. Children and teachers had a chance to listen to heartbeats, check O2 levels and talk on the loudspeaker. At the end of the tours the students received official Ambulance Service of Manchester stickers.
Ambulance Service of Manchester sends Patient and Customer Satisfaction Surveys to a random sampling of patients every month. The final part of the survey asks that the patient or family member use a word or phrase that describes the ambulance crew. Listed below are the words used to describe our amazing employees.
On Monday August 5th ASM’s EMT Jeffry Hornish and Paramedic Cody Lemire received Certificates of Recognition from the Bolton Volunteer Fire Department. Fire Chief, Bruce Dixon presented the certificates during the department’s monthly meeting. Lemire and Hornish were recognized for extraordinary personal actions in the line of duty which lead to the successful resuscitation and saving of a life. Congratulations and great job!
MANCHESTER – On July 30th, 2019, Ambulance Service of Manchester EMTs Sandra Parker and Christopher Sookram provided support for the MARC, Inc “Summer Concert Series”. “Changes in Latitude” headlined playing the music of Jimmy Buffett while the Main Pub served up food to match the festive occasion. All proceeds from the concert series benefit people with developmental disabilities in our community. The last concert of the summer will be July 30th so make sure you stop down and support this amazing organization!
MANCHESTER- On Tuesday July 30, 2019, Ambulance Service of Manchester EMTs, Kayla Katt and Erica Clayton visited Manchester Early Learning Center (MELC). While on site, kids were able to climb on board ASM’s ambulance and explore the equipment as Kayla and Erica fielded questions from both the staff and children.
Molly Devanney of Highland Park Market surprised ASM road crews and office staff with ice cream on Thursday. Molly and other staff at Highland Park wanted to show their appreciation for First Responders. The timing was perfect with the temperatures hovering near 90 degrees for most of the week. ASM would like give our sincere thanks to Highland Park Market for all of their support at events held throughout the course of the year.
SOUTH WINDSOR- On Wednesday, July 10th, 2019, Ambulance Service of Manchester Paramedic Josh Conroy and EMTs Stacey Debarge, Justin Craig, and Ashley DeBisschop visited South Windsor Police Department’s Summer Youth Academy. The ASM crew worked alongside SWPD Officers to provide tours of both an ALS and BLS ambulance during a question and answer session with the students. Thank you to SWPD Officer Tina Roy and Corporal. Ben White for coordinating the event.
The New Britain Bee’s celebrated the Fourth of July by honoring First Responders Thursday night. The Bee’s provided ASM and Aetna with 50 free tickets to the 6:35pm game against the Somerset Patriots. Fans enjoyed food and Fireworks, as the two teams battled to a 0 – 0 tie.
MANCHESTER: Ambulance Service of Manchester Paramedic Robert Bilodeau and EMTs Sandra Parker and Amanda Larochelle received the following feedback from a patient satisfaction survey. “From the moment that the ASM crew entered my apartment, I knew I was in good hands. As they began to glean information, it was apparent that they were concerned and extremely professional. They assessed my condition rapidly and began treatment at once. They performed perfectly as a team and also alleviated my anxiety by explaining exactly what and why they were doing it. Once I was in the ambulance, the [crew] gave me anti-nausea medication which gave me immediate relief from discomfort, as well as, anxiety. I am confident it provided a certain level of relief to the ambulance crew as well. As proof of the team’s efficiency, my blood pressure markedly lowered from the time they arrived at my apartment to the time I arrived at the hospital. If you wish to share any or all of this story with the public, you have permission.”
Ambulance Service of Manchester is proud to release our latest company video. A special thank you to Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce member Jim Russo (J. Russo Productions) and all of the staff who worked diligently to create the final product. Please CLICK HERE to enjoy!
On Sunday, June 9th Aetna and ASM came together to compete in the 2019 “You’re Killing Me Smalls,” softball tournament. On this beautiful sunny day, players, friends and family enjoyed food, drinks and games while the teams battled it out. Highland Park Market graciously donated ice cream for both the players and the spectators. Aetna took the lead,winning the first two games, showing that they came to play. ASM fought back,winning the next two games, setting up a winner take all final game to determine the champion. In the end ASM defeated Aetna 20 – 13 and took the trophy home. The trophy will remain with ASM until next year’s games! All proceeds from the event will be donated to Pancreatic Cancer Research.
Message from ASM’s coach:
I would first like to say thank you. Without the players, fans and management this would never have been possible. We were looking for good weather, we got that for sure. We asked for two good teams and what we got was two great teams. Everyone played their hearts out. I truly appreciate all the thanks received from everyone. A coach is nothing without great players so, I thank you again and I look forward to coaching in the future.
Congratulations!!!
Tim LaChappelle
Stay tuned for kickball, it’s next!
