The post Michael Lew-Smith – Driver / HRS President appeared first on Hardwick Rescue Squad.

I was born in the dark during hurricane Carol in Newburyport, MA in 1954 and wonder why I’m not Carol Holdman-Bellavance!

Along with my older sister and brother, we moved to Middlebury in 1953 and soon my two younger sisters came along. My grandparents lived up the road and started Pyrofax Gas where my father worked for a year before starting his milk hauling company.

After graduating from Middlebury Union High School, a friend and I toured the USA and when we ran out of money, I worked at Roy Rogers Family Restaurant in Riverside, CA for one year. Came back and worked the summer at Basin Harbor Club in Ferrisburgh which led to the winter at Boca Hotel & Club in Boca Raton, FL. Came home again and was hired for opening day in1974 at Fire & Ice Restaurant in Middlebury.  The owners took me under their wings and I was soon helping in the office where my bookkeeping skills came about. I was there for thirteen years and credit them not only for the office experience, but also for work ethics.

I left to work at my father’s trucking company and was there for 18 years.  It was where I met John. He was a heavy-duty parts salesman and we were both involved in the VT Truck & Bus Association.

We married in 2001. I have twin daughters, Shannon & Andrea and John has a daughter, Lindsay. Lindsay has a daughter, Lana and Shannon has Willa.  Needless to say, John is looking forward to a Grandson!

When my father closed the company we moved to Albany, NY where I worked for the New York State Motor Truck Association for eight years.  Besides bookkeeping, I ran the NYS Share the Road program which was rewarding to me as it brought safety awareness and more to high school students.  We moved to Hardwick in 2011 and I worked at Middlesex Electric in Montpelier until retiring in 2020.  I find it rewarding that I can help Hardwick Rescue with bookkeeping. It fills in a hole between gardening, golf, camping and being with family and friends.

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The clinic will be held Friday, June 25th from 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm at the Walden firehouse. This is a walk-in clinic. No appointment is necessary, but advance notice would be appreciated if you’re vaccinating a 12- to 18 year-old.

Send an email to ewilkel@together.net

We will have doses of Pfizer (two-dose) and Johnson and Johnson (single-dose for adults) available.

See you there!

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I am not from Vermont…. I know it’s a terrible thing. I moved to Hardwick in 2015 and found HRS that same year. Over the last ten years I have had the privilege to serve as vice president, president and now serve on the board of HRS. I am the district training coordinator for District 4 and I enjoy helping educate our current and future EMS providers. As a volunteer AEMT and Driver for HRS I love interacting with my adopted community and working with people from so many different backgrounds. I am also a committed member of the Hardwick Fire Department and proudly serve as 1st Lieutenant. HRS is fortunate to have many cross trained fire and EMS members. Overall HRS is a fun, eclectic group with people for everyone. 

I work as a Physical Therapist and manager by day in Lyndonville, VT at Northern Physical Therapy an NVRH practice. I hold a doctorate in Physical Therapy as well as a Masters in Healthcare Administration with a certificate in positive organizational development. I am happily married to a wonderful human who endures my many hobbies and passions. We are proud parents to two wonderful dogs and enjoy wandering the hills of Vermont during all the seasons together. I love to explore the amazing weather in this state by paddling a lake, riding my bike, running the road, trails, or seeing what new adventures I can find. If you are looking for a place to call home or just hang out with some amazing people stop by and say hello!

The post Lindsay O’Steen – AEMT appeared first on Hardwick Rescue Squad.

I am a physical comedian and variety performer as well as an event producer but at heart I am a life-long learner and adventurer. My work and outdoor enthusiasm takes me to cities and out of the way places all over the world but it also connects me to the local community. I am a co-founder of Vermont Vaudeville, have produced many events in the region, and am on the board of directors for NEKarts at the Hardwick Town House. I grew up in Montgomery, VT and have lived in Greensboro since 2007.

As a new member of HRS, I have been welcomed into the fold of this supportive team and I have learned an incredible amount. The training is thorough and largely at my own pace, the time commitment is adjustable to my (often crazy) schedule, and being there to offer support at times of crises, especially for people I know, is an honor.

The post Maya McCoy – EMT appeared first on Hardwick Rescue Squad.

After losing my brakes coming down Slapp Hill, rolling a manure truck three times, before coming to a stop near the railroad tracks, I helped lower HRS’s response time average that year. I reluctantly agreed to transport and will be forever grateful to the “guardian angels” who gave up their time to care for me.

Three months later my son Jonathan was born, and ten years later I mentioned to a squad member (thanks Richard!) that maybe I could help the depleted ranks of HRS after the National Guard call up post 9/11, and Patty called the next day. As a self employed glassblower/craftsmen doing shows around the country I figured if I could drive a van full of glass to shows in New York, or Boston, or Philadelphia, or Washington being hassled by cops and unions and promoters while wondering if I would make enough to stay in business, maybe I have some skills that could be transferable to driving an ambulance. I have always tried not to break what is in the back of my van. I don’t worry about the weather, day or night, because I will drive back through anything to get back home. And, like in my business, with teamwork and good camaraderie, it is amazing what people are willing and able to do.

HRS is about teamwork and community service. Along with the sad and difficult parts comes a unique connection to the patients and the crew members. Helping someone in need and sometimes to survive is a powerful and shared experience but even the most routine calls are to help someone having a bad day. I thought I joined HRS to help our community. What I didn’t realize was I was also learning how our current health care system works and doesn’t work. I used that insight in ways that greatly assisted my parents in their final days in hospital and hospice by being able to speak the language of the providers and understand their pressures, too. And by providing pizza to the nurse’s break room, my loved ones were not just room numbers- they bought the pizza!

The post Harry Besett – Driver appeared first on Hardwick Rescue Squad.

I am a fourth generation Hardwickian. I lived in Hardwick until 1998 and grew up in the village. Sally and I have three daughters, one son-in-law and one granddaughter. We moved back to Hardwick in 2010 and started Bellavance LP Services, Inc. when my father retired after 40 years in the propane business. I joined The Kiwanis Club of Hardwick and Hardwick Rescue Squad as a driver in 2012 as a way to give back to the community as did many of my family members before me. I previously served as Driver Trainer, Building Maintenance Committee and  new Ambulance Committee for our ambulance #2. I really enjoy working with a great group of volunteers as well as our area Fire Departments and Law Enforcement.

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Emily was born and raised in the NEK and spent most of her youth loose in the woods poking gross things with sticks. She left to get a science degree from Cornell University just in time for an economic recession, so she put that degree to use as a barista/landscaper/dishwasher to finance a decade-long rugby habit. Eventually she moved back to Vermont to attend (and then drop out of) art school while simultaneously running trail crews and digging holes for the Green Mountain Club in summer and performing a variety of odd jobs at Stowe Mountain Resort in winter. A coworker at the Resort finally persuaded Emily to get involved with EMS; given the lack of local rugby teams and the promise of getting to see other people’s gruesome injuries instead of acquiring them herself, this struck Emily as a generally positive option.

After obtaining her EMT certification, Emily was promptly hired by the National Park Service to work as a protection ranger at a ridiculously-remote park called Isle Royale in the middle of Lake Superior. After spending the season poking a LOT of gross things (without even needing a stick!) Emily realized she’d finally landed on a career path she enjoyed, and returned to Vermont once again to put her weird array of skills to use serving her native community. In keeping with her history of questionable career choices, Emily signed up for paramedic school just in time for a global pandemic. After spending a few hundred hours of field training stuffed into an N95 and giant plastic suit, Emily clawed her way to graduation. She is honored to be able to provide advanced-level emergency care to the creatively and unintentionally self-destructive residents of northern Vermont. 

Emily lives in North Wolcott with her manpanion Steven and “dented can dog”, Kooga. When she’s not in the back of the ambulance poking something gross, she’s probably in a canoe. 

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My name’s Sandy Reeks and I’m an Advanced EMT with Hardwick Rescue. I’ve been an active member of HRS since 2007 and I’m currently the Secretary. I’m originally from the UK and have lived in Woodbury since 2002. I joined rescue because I wanted to give back to my community. When you are new to a town and don’t have kids in the school system, it can be hard to establish yourself – so I found the idea of volunteering with rescue a perfect solution for getting to know my neighbors better while learning life saving skills.

When I’m not volunteering on rescue, I’m working at my day job. I’m the Product Development Director for a software company in Stowe that specializes in systems for high end hotels and resorts. In my spare time, I enjoy dabbling in wildlife photography and playing guitar in a local band called the Woodbury Broad Band. I’m also the loving Mum to two gorgeous cats and a fanatical, life-long supporter of Liverpool Football Club.

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