Chief Banfill of Lock Haven EMS praises, celebrates staff

LOCK HAVEN, PA – It takes a small army of dedicated personnel to ensure the care and medical attention of others is looked after. For Chief Gerard Banfill of Lock Haven EMS, that comes straight from the heart of his staff and colleagues.

“I really praise my dedicated team of professionals at Lock Haven EMS,” Gerard said. “They work the longest hours away from their own homes and their family to ensure that our community is well taken care of when they need it most, with the best possible care available.”

Lock Haven EMS is very busy year-round, every day and every minute, responding to some 2,650 calls last year alone, equivalent to more than seven per day, or one call every 3.5 hours.

“This year we have had 700 or 800 so far, but over 1,000 in routine transports alone,” Gerard stated.

One would think that the busiest time of the year for EMS would be the wintry months, but Chief Gerard says it is very blended throughout the year.

“During the weather, folks are out in their gardens, mowing lawns, playing in parks, or on the river and they are more active then, but we have a community that is very diverse with age and there is really no quiet time for our EMS…even in the winter we have cold and flu season, summer we can have heat strokes, or heat exhaustion, but we have a very unique system where we can back each other up even with a shortage of manpower,” Gerard explained.

Gerard’s staff work a lot of overtime hours simply because of the loss of manpower.

“We take applications every day if someone is looking to join our EMS and learn this lifelong skill,” Gerard explained. “You can become an Associate and help around the station, or transport, or the emergency field…we can bring in someone who has no training and can help get them all of the training they need.”

Clinton County Government recently announced a variety of programs locally through Commonwealth University (Lock Haven, Mansfield, Bloomsburg) and Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC) that will be holding classes in Lock Haven beginning in August.

“If anyone is interested, please seek out those advertisements, either in the newspapers, online, Facebook, or call this station – we need your help and we would love to have you here,” said Gerard. “This is the best opportunity this county has had in its history, right at your fingertips, to learn a lifelong skill and give back.”

Many people may even remember the television show Emergency! which was popular in the 70s and early 80s that followed two paramedics fresh in the field. “I am old enough to know what Emergency! is,” said Gerard, “my wife watches it with me now and even then they were ahead of their time.”

Gerard started working in EMS in the early 1980s and has been employed with Lock Haven EMS since its humble beginnings on February 14, 1994. “We kicked off on Valentine’s Day, what a great day to do what you love,” Gerard said.

“Each one of my staff at this station is the definition of success,” Gerard said. “When it comes down to it with the training, the long hours, and the family atmosphere we have, we are always here standing strong, ready to serve.”

“Even though there are not many people entering the field anymore, and volunteers have gone into different fields over the years, I wish them well with their endeavors and praise the staff we had, and still do have here today,” Chief Gerard said. “If there was a better word than “appreciate” to show my feelings toward my staff, I would be using it.”