HUNTINGTON COMMUNITY FIRST AID SQUAD AND YOUTH SQUAD POST 215 WIN AWARDS FROM NEW YORK STATE VOLUNTEER AMBULANCE & RESCUE ASSOCIAITON

Members of the Huntington Community First Aid Squad (HCFAS) and its youth division, HCFAS Youth Post 215 were recieptnts of awards presented by the New York State Volunteer Ambulance & Rescue Association (NYSVARA) at the annual education conference held in Albany this year. The conference offered a virtual version and a limited in person event. The awards were presented to the recieptnts at HCFAS’s monthly General Membership Meeting by NYSVARA Director District 4 James Downey who attend the conference and brought the awards back to HCFAS.

 HCFAS member Michael Barker was recognized as the Communications Specialist of the Year for Serving as Chief  Dispatcher numerous times, the most recent in 2019 and 2020, and his continued work in training new members as dispatchers as Chair of the Dispatching Training Committee.

 Dale Bartolomeo won the Meritorious Award for his heroic rescue of a man from a vehicle that was involved in an accident and was engulfed in flames at great personal danger to himself. Dale is an eleven year member of HCFAS presently serving as Second Deputy Chief and is also a member of the Huntington Manor Fire Dept.  He is a dispatcher for the New York City Fire Dept.

 HCFAS Post 215 Youth Squad was named the EMS Youth Squad of Excellence. While many of the other “Juniors” groups affiliated with peer organizations decided to take a “pause” on their training and activities, Post 215 leaned into remote training and continued with bi-weekly trainings sessions, continuing to achieve 75-85% engagement of their 35+ teenage members.

The EMS Youth Squad Member of Excellence was awards to Alexander Bayer.  Alex joined the Huntington Community First Aid Squad Youth Program, Post 215, in June 2017 when he finished 8th grade. He became an EMT in November 2020 at the age of 17. Alex served as the Youth Squad Chief at HCFAS, joined Greenlawn FD as an EMT. He is also an American Red Cross and American Heart Association CPR Instructor and a Lifeguard Instructor. He recently hit 100 people trained in CPR.

 He is attending the Quinnipiac College Nursing Program where he was awarded a half scholarship.