M’town Elks stretch it out The Courier Posted:03/20/09
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What could be better than saving someone’s life? Having the ability to do so in the first place.
The Middletown Elks Lodge No. 2179 recently donated a brand new “Ferno” brand stretcher to the Port Monmouth First Aid Squad.
The stretcher will compliment the squad’s bariatric unit — one of only two all-volunteer bariatric units known statewide, according to officials. The new piece of equipment will be able to transport patients weighing up to 900 pounds.
The unit was created during 2005 and operates with a specialty response vehicle specifically designed to transfer and transport bariatric patients.
The Port Monmouth unit has, to date, responded to more than 30 calls, officials said, including calls from locations as far away as Elizabeth, Howell and Cranbury.
The donation comes during tight economic times, the squad said, where volunteerism plays a great strategic role in keeping taxes and insurance costs down. “The Elks organization has been instrumental in boosting community morale for decades, and that tradition is continued,” a press release stated. “The squad benefits by providing a unique service and generates cost in membership.”
Any resident interested in joining the Port Monmouth First Aid Squad can call 732-787-9566 or log on to: www.middletownems.org.
Any resident interested in supporting the Middletown Elks Lodge No. 2179 can call the lodge at 732-495-2733 or visit www.middletownelks2179.org.
