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Volunteers
"We're Here Because We Care."
A Look at our Volunteers. . . . . Every member of the Little Neck-Douglaston Community Ambulance Corps is a VOLUNTEER! From Emergency Medical Technicians to Dispatchers, and anywhere in between, all members are unpaid and choose to give up their time to serve their community. What type of people are members of the Little Neck - Douglaston Community Ambulance Corps? We are teachers, accountants, store clerks, business people, students, retired people, book binders, bus drivers, librarians, mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters. Look around and you will see us. We are everyday people, just as you are. We are people who, outside our professional lives, have committed ourselves to acquiring and maintaining state certification in order to serve you, our neighbors. The Little Neck-Douglaston Community Ambulance Corps has maintained its identity as a group of caring, skilled, dedicated, state-certified group of volunteers. As volunteers, we unselfishly give our time and skills so that our community may benefit. Our remuneration for our work is seeing the grateful faces of the people we help and knowing that we made a difference in somebody’s life. Most of our members are either:
Riders are also given the option to learn how to drive the ambulance. In order to become a driver, the new member must take an initial driving test, then go through a six-month period of ambulance driving training and practice. At the end of the six-month period, the new member is given a second driving test. Upon successful completion of the second driving test, the new member is permitted to drive the ambulance during emergency-response situations. DISPATCHERS: Dispatchers monitor and record telephone calls, answer radio calls, and direct ambulances to required locations. These members are considered the key to the entire ambulance operation in that they speed up service and enhance reliability, particularly when simultaneous emergencies occur. A dispatcher plays an important role throughout the emergency, as they relay patient information from the ambulance crew to the medical facility. No driver's license, annual physical, or emergency medical technician (E.M.T.) training is required. Dispatchers undergo in-house training. For the first few weeks, the Chief of Dispatching trains the new dispatcher during that new dispatcher's scheduled shift. During this training period, the new dispatcher learns how to collect information from callers on the emergency phone, communicate with the ambulance crew by two-way radio, contact hospitals, etc. New Members. . . . . Personnel turnover is the norm for any organization. The Little Neck-Douglaston Community Ambulance Corps is proud that some members are rounding out 25+ years of continuous service. The fact is, though, most people are subject to a change in job, residence, or responsibilities, that require them to leave the Ambulance Corps. The average period of service is between 2 and 3 years. As a consequence, replacement volunteers are in constant need. All new volunteer members of the Little Neck-Douglaston Community Ambulance Corps are accepted on a 6 month probationary status which gives the new member an opportunity to assess his or her interest and aptitude for ambulance work. During this period, orientation and training sessions, plus actual field experience is afforded. If for any reason the new member decides against continuing with the ambulance corps, he or she leaves without prejudice. This procedure has been found to save the Ambulance Corps unnecessary expense for uniforms and outlays. The "welcome mat" is always out for anyone in the community wishing to volunteer. If you would like to volunteer, call 718-229-0400 after 7p.m. or complete the following on-line application:
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