Old Zionsville Fire Company Hosts Open House

In honor of EMS week, the Macungie Ambulance Corps and Upper Milford Fire Company, also known as , teamed up to show the community what is involved when saving a person’s life.

The Ambulance Corps offered a free CPR class, with all persons being certified by the end of the evening on May 19. Seven men, women and children were in the social quarters trying to “revive” the mannequins by pushing on their chests and breathing into their mouths at a steady pace. They also learned CPR techniques to use on infants, as well as the Heimlich maneuver. 

“This is hard,” several of them said. But, as the students kept working at it and practicing, it began to get easier.

Years ago, CPR classes were conducted over a 6-8 week period, involving books and assignments and lots of practice. Now, a person can be certified in as little as two hours.  “The more [people] we can train,” said Chris Greb, operations manager of Macungie Ambulance, “the more lives we save.  So why make it a long, drawn-out process.” The classes held at the event are for the general public, he added, and emergency personnel take a more involved course.

While parents were busy with the CPR, some children were kept occupied coloring pictures and making various crafts.

The children also enjoyed sitting in the ambulances and fire trucks. The lights were flashing on the trucks, sirens blaring and horns were blowing as they sat at the steering wheel “driving” to the next fire.

One of the most popular events of the evening was the “rescue” of a person trapped in a Dodge Caravan. Firefighters literally cut the Caravan apart, first the windows were broken out, then the doors removed, and finally the front of the Caravan was pushed away from the body in order to extricate the person trapped under the steering wheel.  Oohs and aahs were heard throughout the crowd as they watched the demonstration.

Firefighters involved in the “rescue” were:  Curtis Knauss, Jeff Lehr, Dylan Schantz, Justin “Chippy” Kane, Chris Rickert, Ronald Fisher, Cody Raudenbush, Russ Siminski, Stanley Cupp and Mike Kline. Fire Chief Joe Kernick proudly watched from the sidelines as his men demonstrated how to safely remove a person from a vehicle.

Smokey the Bear even came for a brief visit. Children shook his paw, gave him hugs and waved “hi” as he walked through the crowd.

About an hour and a half into the event, Macungie Ambulance demonstrated to everyone just how busy they are. One of the three ambulances at the fire company turned on its lights and siren as it left to respond to a call.