Every December the Killingworth Ambulance Association holds its annual Christmas party at the home of a board member, and this year was supposed to be no different.

And it wasn’t. Only, it was, too.

Yes, a board member hosted it. And, yes, EMTs and others on the board were there, as they have been for years. But it was more than a Christmas party. It was also a retirement party for former board member Pat Miller.

Miller announced that she is quitting as an EMT after serving Killingworth the past 15 years – many of which were spent on call Tuesday evenings, with Miller sleeping on an air mattress at the association’s Route 81 headquarters.

“There are a lot of factors,” she said, “that came together that make this the right time.”

One is that she must renew her certification at the end ofthe calendar year. Another is that, since moving to Madison several years ago, it’s become increasingly difficult for her to spend weekday evenings at the KAA building. And, third, she’s more focused on life after retirement from her job as a pharmacist – something she envisions happening within the next two years.

“I feel I’ve done my time,” said Miller. “I’m getting older,and it’s time for newer blood to come along and step up to the plate … Patients are getting larger and larger, and my back is getting older and older. I don’t want to start my retirement with a major back injury.”

But that doesn’t mean that Miller is leaving the KAA or Killingworth. She is not. She intends to continue teaching CPR courses and monitoring ambulance inventory for the association. She simply is retiring as an EMT – unfortunately, at a time when the KAA is in need of volunteers.

“What am I going to miss?” she said. “Certainly the people. People ask if you like what you do as an EMT, and I don’t like seeing people in pain and suffering. But it gives you great satisfaction to know that you might be able to help them on their worst day and make it a little easier on them and their families.

“I’ll miss that because Killingworth is such a big-hearted community. It makes it easy to want to give.”

And Miller has given a considerable amount of her adult life to Killingworth. A member of the KAA’s board of directors for over two decades, she was a past president, vice president and secretary. After moving to Madison, she resigned from the board but continued as an EMT – an experience she said she won’t forget.

Apparently, neither will others.

“When my retirement was announced,” Miller said, “one of the soon-to-be EMTs, someone who’s taking the (current EMT) course, Mary Robbenhaar-Fretz (a board member) came up to me and said, ‘Wow, Pat, you’ve been doing Tuesday nights here for a long time.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, I have. But what made you remember that?’ And she said, ‘Because you transported my father on a Tuesday night. And he passed away three-to-four days later. You were such a comfort to us then.’ ”

Miller’s last day as an EMT is Monday, Dec. 31. And while she’s not sure how she will recognize the event she is certain that with a New Year she begins a new life.

“Being an EMT certainly is a meaningful way to give back to your community,” she said, “which I think everyone has an obligation to do in one form or another. Certainly, it has its downsides. Nobody wants to be called out of bed at 2 in the morning. But you do it because you know one of your peers – one of your colleagues, perhaps – needs help.

“Am I glad I did it? I don’t have to think a second about that. It’s an unqualified yes. I have no regrets at all. And I do feel I’ve helped a lot of people over the years, which gives you a great deal of satisfaction. It’s been a wonderful experience.”

By Clark Judge

It’s not just the Killingworth Ambulance Association that needs more EMTs. It’s the people of Killingworth itself.

And I just discovered why.

Were it not for an EMT … in the right place at the right time … I might have lost my 68-year-old brother. He suffered cardiac arrest while working out one morning and, lucky for him … and for all those close to him … there was an EMT there to help save his life.

His name is Adam (he asked that I not use his last name), and he’s not from Killingworth. He lives in Chicago, and it was there … at a downtown athletic club … that he put his training into practice by helping to revive a clinically dead patient – my brother — through CPR and the use of an AED.

It really doesn’t matter where this happened. What matters is that it happened … period.

Adam knew what to do when others did not, and he knew what to do when there was little or no margin for error. Essentially, he knew what to do when a life was in peril because he’d been trained. As a sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania he worked as an EMT with the on-campus Medical Emergency Response Team (MERT).

“I was at the gym on the machine directly in front of the patient,” Adam recalled in an e-mail, “doing my normal cardio while watching some Netflix with my earbuds in. Out of nowhere a woman came running up to the front of my machine, so I took my earbuds out. She frantically asked if I worked in health care because I happened to be wearing a T-shirt with the logo of a hospital, (and she) alerted me to the fact that there was a medical emergency directly behind me. I had no idea.”

Adam turned to see three women performing CPR on my brother. One, he said, was applying chest compressions. Another was administering breaths. And the third was monitoring the AED. CPR was undertaken, he said, for approximately 10 minutes before Advanced Life Support arrived to whisk my brother away to nearby Northwestern Hospital.

In those 10 minutes, Adam said, two shocks were advised and administered with the AED. I later learned that my brother’s heart had stopped for four minutes.

“The most important lesson from becoming an EMT,” Adam said, “was to stay calm and follow your training. There were a lot of people, onlookers and drama in the situation to be caught up in, and it was important to follow protocols.”

My brother was unresponsive for two-and-half days but opened his eyes that weekend and was taken off a respirator within 48 hours. His recovery was so immediate, so complete and so remarkable that he was sent home within a week-and-a-half and today contemplates returning to work in January.

All of that was communicated to Adam, who, understandably, was relieved.

“During the incident,” he said, “I was emotionally turned off and focusing on protocol. However, for the rest of the week I was quite shaken from the experience. It’s one thing to be an EMT when you signed up for a shift to be an EMT; it’s another to have a life-threatening emergency come up unexpected in your everyday life.

“I was very lucky to learn the patient made a full recovery (by hearing) through a random connection of a friend-of-a-friend. Otherwise, I would still be left wondering. I’m grateful I spent all that time learning to be an EMT.”

So are we.

What I learned in that week I spent in Chicago and what I gathered afterward underscored the importance of knowing CPR and the critical roles that our volunteers serve when they act as EMTs. In fact, when I returned to Killingworth, I ran into Mike Haaga, who leads EMT classes at the Ambulance Association with his wife, Marguerite, and notified him that my wife and I were interested in taking a CPR course.

I told him it was a voluntary decision, but I know better. It’s not. Adam made me do it.

Knowing what he and others did that morning in Chicago convinced me that maybe, just maybe, I could do the same one day. If nothing else, it would at least serve to prepare me if I ever were faced with a similar situation.

“CPR is incredibly easy,” Adam said. “But the reality is: It’s somewhat of a burden to find the time and the money to go to a CPR class. However, I encourage everyone to find that time.

“I trained to be an EMT so I could work dedicated shifts at my college – responding to 911 calls during my shift. I never anticipated or expected to use my training outside of those set shifts. Odds are that you will never be in a situation where someone goes into cardiac arrest near you, but it is definitely worth taking a CPR class just in case. Because a life can be on the line.”

A life already was.

The Killingworth Ambulance Association is looking for volunteers to provide better coverage for the town.

Interested persons must be … or willing to become … Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) or Emergency Medical Responders (EMRs), with the KAA offering training for those who are not. A three-month course begins Sept. 10 (http://www.killingworthambulance.org/2018/07/27/emt-course-coming-in-september/) at a cost of $850, with the fee reimbursed after one year of service.

The course is expected to run until Dec. 15, with Monday and Thursday evening classes (6-10 p.m.) and five Saturday sessions (8 a.m. – 4 p.m.).

The KAA, which  dates back to 1971, averages just under one call per day and offers flexible scheduling that is responsive to personal needs and changing plans. For example:

Individuals covering 12-hour shifts may not be called during that time, while those agreeable to one night a week of interrupted sleep can sign up for a night shift but sleep in their own beds — responding only when called.

What’s more, if you work from home or are in town and have a flexible schedule, you can cover a day shift — knowing that there will be times where you won’t be called.

If you’re retired and want to know what EMTs or professionals do, this is an opportunity to discover if this is for you. And if you’re a high-school or college student interested in the medical field, it’s a chance to gain more than valuable experience. You can earn up to six credits, too.

In short, becoming part of the KAA is an opportunity to join a volunteer organization that serves the community and is in need of qualified EMTs. For more information, please contact the Killingworth Ambulance Association at (860) 663-2450.

Looking to become an EMT? Then you’ve come to the right place. The Killingworth Ambulance Association is offering offer an EMT course this fall, starting Sept. 10 and tentatively scheduled to end Dec. 15.

Classes will be held Monday and Thursday evenings, 6-10 p.m., and five Saturdays from 8 a.m.- 4 p.m., and will include CPR, patient assessment and treatment.

Cost of the course is $850 and does not include testing expenses. However, accredited EMTs can recoup half of that $850 with a half-year of service and the entire amount with one year’s service.

The course is six credits in college and is highly recommended for persons interested in pursuing careers in medical fields.

For more information, please contact the KAA at (860) 663-2450.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Mark Clifton is a KAA board member, former president of the board, EMT and longtime friend of Rick Albrecht)

By Mark Clifton

The members of the Killingworth Ambulance Association and the entire Killingworth community are grieving at the loss of Richard Albrecht, who passed away last weekend and whose service to the town will be sorely missed.

Many of us considered Rick the town historian for his insight into the annals of Killingworth, its citizens, politics, land transactions and so on — much of which he picked up from his father, Walter, who was also a pillar of the community.

Rick and his Dad committed much of themselves to the Killingworth Ambulance Association, either serving on the board and special committees or responding as EMTs (or first-aiders, as they were known in Walter’s era). Walter was a founding member of the KAA, and both he and his son were lifetime members of the Killingworth Volunteer Fire Co.

The family heritage of community service is today carried on by Rick’s son, Matt, who is active in his community in Maine as a fire fighter and paramedic.

Rick also held numerous positions in town, active not only with the KVCA and KAA but with the American Legion, the Democratic Committee and the Regional Water Authority, to name a few. He was a family man, raising his son alone after losing his wife, Becky, to cancer, and was an avid and supportive member of the Killingworth Congregational Church.

As far back as I can remember, Rick orchestrated the Memorial Day Parade and Memorial Service, held annually on the Congregational Church lawn, and it was a responsibility he held with honor and distinction.

The loss of Rick will certainly have an impact on the KAA because he was one of those guys you could always count on. No matter if it was during the work day or in the middle of the night, he would respond to the calls of those in need.  In fact, he responded to upwards of 50 percent of the ambulance calls and was always within the top three responders for the year.

His loss leaves a huge void, but, as is the nature of our volunteer responders, we will rally to fill it — with the KAA offering Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) training for those interested in joining our service.

The KAA dressed in memory of Rick Albrecht

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Dan O’Sullivan is the KAA board president, an EMT and a friend of Rick Albrecht)

By Dan O’Sullivan

Rick Albrecht served the town in many ways for many years. One of those ways was as an EMT for the Killingworth Ambulance Association, where he was a stalwart helping us to respond to calls at all hours for decades.

His dedicated service is a testament to his compassion for others and devotion to the town. Rick and his family are in our thoughts and prayers.

We are flying the flag at the ambulance building at half-staff and have dressed the headquarters in crepe in honor of Rick and all those he helped in town through his years of service with his work on the ambulance.

(Pictured L-R: Kelsey D’Amico, Trevor Hines, Samantha Mohammed, Michael Callis and Justin Popp)

Haddam-Killingworth High School seniors Kelsey D’Amico, Justin Popp, Trevor Hines, Samantha Mohammed and Michael Callis are this year’s recipients of the Killingworth Ambulance Association scholarships.

The five were named at the school’s annual senior awards night on Tuesday, June 12.

To be eligible for the KAA’s annual grants, graduating seniors must reside in Killingworth and have been accepted at a continuing education institution of two or four years. In addition, they must intend to major in the medical, emergency services (e.g., police or fire) or allied fields, have performed substantial community service and maintained GPAs of 3.0 or better.

These five did:

KELSEY D’AMICO — The school’s valedictorian with a GPA of 4.34, Kelsey was a track and cross-country standout who performed 219 hours of community service and will pursue a career in veterinary medicine at Purdue University.

JUSTIN POPP — A member of the football, baseball and wrestling teams, Justin plans to pursue a pre-med major at LIU Post, where he will focus on biology. Justin, who performed 215 hours of community service, hopes to one day become a doctor.

TREVOR HINES — Captain of the football and wrestling teams, Trevor will stay in the area — planning to study criminal justice at the University of New Haven. He hopes to pursue a career in law enforcement.

SAMANTHA MOHAMMED — Samantha was the volleyball team captain and is another student who intends to pursue a major in biology in college. She will do it at Colby-Sawyer College in New London, N.H.

MICHAEL CALLIS — Michael is an Eagle Scout and another track standout, achieving all-state honors indoors and all-Shoreline outdoors. is headed to the College of New Jersey, where he will study for a degree in nursing. Michael logged 296 hours of community service.

The Killingworth Ambulance Association congratulates this year’s scholarship recipients and wishes them the best in their collegiate careers and beyond.

It’s a class advertised as “the New Face of De-Escalation,” but it was at a familiar stop on the evening of June 6 — the Killingworth Volunteer Fire Company. For the second time in two years, former Lt. Ray Hassett (ret.) of the New Haven Police Dept. brought his three-hour course to first-responders in Killingworth.

With members of  the Killingworth Ambulance Association and Killingworth Fire Co. in attendance, Hassett preached the importance of patience, discourse, listening and, ultimately, understanding in responding to persons in crisis situations — an area of expertise for the former policeman.

Hassett teaches the art of hostage negotiations overseas for the U.S. State Dept.

“Where this training helps you to evolve,” he told listeners, “is to step back and say, ‘What am I looking at here?’ When you have that beginning connection, everything changes.”

Hassett had the same message when he appeared in front of Killingworth first-responders in early 2016, and it was so effective then that he was asked to return. With the help of the Killingworth Lions Club, the Ladies Auxiliary, the KWO and the Chamber of Commerce — each of which contributed $200 — Hassett was able to do that.

“I was a lot of different things to a lot of different people,” he said when talking about handling crisis communications, “and I learned more about them than anything else. You don’t talk as much, but you can be effective.”

The class originally was scheduled for mid-March but was postponed due to severe weather.

The Killingworth Ambulance Association would like to thank all those who participated in its May 19 drive for the Haddam-Killingworth Backpack Program. Donations were made at the town’s Transfer Station, where the KAA … and, later, the town itself … made collections.

Despite cold, damp weather, the KAA collected $230 in cash, three large bins of toiletry items and one large box of non-perishables.

The H-K Backpack Program weekly sends home food and non-perishable items to district children from families that are struggling and twice a year equips them with toiletry items and toothbrushes for self care. Because the KAA is a medical operation, it concentrated on collecting self-care items.

The Backpack Program is a nationwide initiative created by nurses in Arkansas who noticed that children coming to school on Monday complained of symptom associated with not having been fed properly over the weekend.  A program was devised to give them backpacks of food for the weekend, with the backpacks returned the following school day.

The Killingworth Ambulance Association’s “Stop the Bleed” classes are beginning to catch on with the community.

Nearly 60 persons attended the last four sessions, including 31 at the Killingworth Fire Department, as the KAA brings the nationally sponsored program to the attention of the town — which is appropriate. Because Killingworth was the first Connecticut community to have its residents certified in the “Stop the Bleed” program when 19 persons — most of whom were KAA board members or EMTs — completed a one-hour course in July, 2017.

Since then, the KAA has conducted several classes, with interest growing so much that two more classes were scheduled for June. However, the first — a June 5 course at Haddam-Killingworth High School — has been canceled due to the loss last week of a faculty member. A second class scheduled for June 7 at St. Lawrence Catholic Church is still on.

“Stop the Bleed” is a national campaign launched in 2015 by the White House and Department of Homeland Security to inform and instruct persons how to deal with emergency bleeding situations an to provide them with the tools to save lives.

Local classes have been led by a Yale-New Haven Health emergency medical technician who is also a member of the Killingworth Ambulance Association’s board of directors.

Three “Stop the Bleed” classes are scheduled for Killingworth this month, including two on the same day — Wednesday, May 9.

One is at 10 a.m. and the other at 11 a.m., with both held at the Emergency Operations Center (next to Town Hall on Route 81). A third class is scheduled for Thursday, May 17, at 4 p.m. in the Killingworth library.

All will be led by an emergency medical technician at Yale-New Haven Health, who is a member of the KAA board and has led previous classes in the community.

“Stop the Bleed” is a national campaign launched in 2015 by the White House and Department of Homeland Security to inform and instruct persons on how to deal with emergency bleeding situations and to provide them with the tools to save lives.

It is of particular relevance to Killingworth, as the town was the first in Connecticut to have its residents certified for the “Stop the Bleed” program. That happened July, 19, 2017 when 19 persons — most of whom were EMTs and KAA board members — completed a one-hour course.