SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — On Saturday, June 11, the South Orange Rescue Squad took part in the fifth annual Bayshore EMS Cadet Competition, hosted by the Keyport First Aid Squad in Keyport, N.J. Competing against 35 other cadet teams, the South Orange Rescue Squad team won first place in the Advanced Team category as well as the Grand Champion award for highest all-around score. This is the first time the South Orange squad has entered the competition.
“I wasn’t sure what to expect,” EMT team member Cole Fitzsimmons said in a press release. “We train a lot at South Orange, so I felt that we were ready for it.”
This event brought EMS cadet teams from New York and New Jersey together for a two-day event that combines EMS skill competitions, educational experiences, training and socializing with like-minded peers. Many volunteer ambulance squads across the state have cadet programs where teenagers train alongside adult members to provide emergency medical care to their community.
“These cadet groups are valuable feeder programs to help critical volunteer shortages in squads,” South Orange Rescue Squad President Troy Balog said. “We’ve had our cadet program for three years and many former cadets are now active adult members, including our current first lieutenant. We are all volunteer, do not charge for our services and exist on donations, so people who give so much of their time are highly valued.”
Cadet teams could enter the basic-level competition or the advanced-level competition. Basic teams consisted of CPR or first aid-trained cadets and were evaluated in stations consisting of vital sign, CPR and bleeding control. The advanced teams had to have at least two EMTs and their three stations consisted of a simulated fall down two flights of stairs with two broken legs, a heart attack/cardiac arrest simulation, and a serious car accident where two critical patients were trapped in the vehicle.
“For the car accident station we had to work with the fire department to use the Jaws of Life to remove doors from the vehicle,” EMT team member Victor Rothstein said.
The victims in each of the scenarios were either role-played by a volunteer with medical makeup or a high-tech simulator mannequin. Cadets were evaluated in each station by paramedics, EMT instructors or physicians, who provided detailed feedback to the teens after each test.
In between events, Cadets and their advisers were able try a variety of medical simulators brought to the event by the New Jersey EMS Task Force and the MONOC Paramedic Service.
“All of our advisers and cadets got to use video laryngoscopes to intubate a mannequin, tourniquet simulators to stop massive hemorrhage, and attempt paramedic skills like intraosseous needles and cricothyrotomy on a simulator under the direction of a paramedic educator. It was a great experience and a chance to have our cadets learn new skills. We are very grateful to the Keyport First Aid Squad and their chief, Ken Krohe, for organizing this event,” South Orange cadet adviser and EMT Barry Bachenheimer said.
After the skills stations were completed, all in attendance got to watch MONOC Air 1, an aeromedical helicopter land. After getting to look in the helicopter and talk to the staff, cadets gathered for the awards ceremony. South Orange was awarded a greater-than-perfect score for their initiative, innovation and excellence in care and took home two trophies for their efforts.
“I’m so incredibly proud of these cadets and their advisers,” SORS Capt. Scott Egelberg said. “They trained hard and they demonstrated why our cadet program and our squad as a whole practices progressive and outstanding emergency medical care.”
In addition to Fitzsimmons and Rothstein, the team was rounded out by certified first responder Lea Bachenheimer and first aider Katrina Guterman. The team was trained and advised by Bachenheimer, Balog and EMT Kristen Ryan.
Photos Courtesy of Lissa Solano and Barry Bachenheimer
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