The Killingworth Ambulance Association will hold its annual meeting on Wednesday, March 28, at 7:30 p.m., with a new board of directors scheduled to be elected. The meeting will be at the KAA’s headquarters at 335 Route 81, Killingworth.
Monthly Archives: March 2018
Able to witness “professionalism and speed”
“I brought my dogs for a walk to Chatfield Hollow on a sunny but frigid late January afternoon — a day when there were few cars in the parking lot, the temperature was 18 degrees and the conditions everywhere were extremely icy. As I was heading back from our walk, I noticed a gentleman walking in front of me on a path dotted by large rocks and boulders just before you get to the stream. Before I knew it, he slipped and fell backward without bracing himself — and I heard a thick “thud” when his head struck the ground. I ran over to him, but he was unresponsive. I kept saying, “Hello, sir, are you OK?” No response. At that moment, I realized I had left my cell phone in the car, mostly because I know that cell phone coverage at Chatfield is spotty at best. Luckily, three young men, probably aged somewhere between 18 and 21, were walking toward us from a distance. I yelled to them, “Call 911! Please hurry!” They did and rushed over to help. While they were on the phone with the 911 dispatcher, the man who had fallen regained consciousness and opened his eyes. The boys asked him if he knew his name and age. He seemed to know his name, but when asked his age, he said, “Twenty seven.” Clearly, he was much older. It wasn’t long afterward that the Killingworth Volunteer Fire Department showed up, and I was amazed at how quickly they arrived. However, because it was January, the main road was gated off. So, first responders had to jump some hurdles — literally — to reach the man. But as they did, they called the state DEP, which gave them the combination of the lock to the wooden gate at the park’s entrance and allowed them to drive to the victim. It was so icy, however, that one of the EMTs fell upon exiting one of the trucks. It was a veritable skating rink! The EMTs quickly assessed the situation and gently but firmly guided the man into the ambulance. I was so impressed with how quick and organized they were, given the environmental obstacles. The man was taken to Middlesex Hospital and diagnosed with a concussion. I was able to witness the Killingworth Volunteer Fire Department’s professionalism and speed in this situation, which could have been more dire had help not arrived quickly. It feels good to live in a town were so many dedicate their time, knowledge and care to those of us who live here.”
Lorinne Sekban,
Killingworth
MARGUERITE HAAGA
BACKGROUND: Marguerite Haaga is a paramedic, Emergency Medical Services instructor and member of the Killingworth Ambulance Association’s board of directors. She and her husband, Mike, live in Killingworth, but she works primarily in a busy system in Fairfield County, often in Bridgeport where she was born. She became a paramedic in 1989 and is a part of an adjunct faculty, teaching paramedic classes at Capital Community College.
Q: Why did you decide to become an EMT?
HAAGA: I took an EMT class as an easy “4” credit class back in 1978. Then, I started as a volunteer in the Stratford EMS.
Q: Did you and your husband become EMTs together or was one of you first?
HAAGA: Mike took the EMT class five years after I did.
Q: Did you have something to do with his decision?
HAAGA: Yes, the reason he became an EMT is that he couldn’t understand why, when we were going out for dinner, we’d be eating and then I’d go out on a call. So then we weren’t together.
Q: What happens if you get a call at midnight? Who goes — you, your husband or both?
HAAGA: If there is no second crew member that calls in, then at times we do calls together. We have done many emergency calls as a couple.
Q: What do you find challenging or rewarding about being an EMT?
HAAGA: As a paramedic, the challenge is assessing and treating the patient.
MIKE HAAGA
BACKGROUND: Mike Haaga is a paramedic, an EMS instructor and the KAA’s Chief of Service. He and his wife Marguerite, whom he met while the two attended the University of Connecticut, have lived in Killingworth since 1992.
Q: What’s the best thing about being an EMT?
HAAGA: Of course, the best part is when you actually save a life. However, in EMS the opportunity to save a life is rare, but the opportunity to impact a life is on every call.
Q: How many calls do you go on in a typical year?
HAAGA: I do 10 to 15 calls a year in Killingworth and around 300 a year as a paramedic.
Q: You and your wife, Marguerite, are EMTs. Did you do your training together?
HAAGA: No. She was an EMT when we met, but she was the main reason I became an EMT.
Q: What are the challenges of having both of you on call?
HAAGA: We try not to be on call at the same time. She is usually on call when I’m working evenings as a medic.
Q: How has being an EMT changed since you first got involved?
HAAGA: There have been many advances in emergency medicine over the past 30 years — with the most important that emergency medical services are finally being recognized as a legitimate part of the health-care team. We are more than “ambulance drivers.” We are health-care professionals.