Mt. Laurel EMS may consist of unpaid volunteers, but at a recent conference, they proved to be just as strong as their full-time brethren.
Mt. Laurel brought home two awards at the New Jersey Statewide Conference on EMS, held in November in Atlantic City.
Volunteer EMTs Kathleen Broeker and Carl Hale received an award for their performance in a Basic Life Support contest, while EMS Chief Frank Pagurek took home the Outstanding EMS Administrator Award.
All three award winners were honored at the Mt. Laurel Council meeting last week. Each received proclamations.
Broeker and Hale were one of two teams representing Mt. Laurel in an event known as the SIM Games. In this contest, EMS and paramedic teams are tested on their life-support skills using both patient simulators and live actors.
“They’re evaluated on patient care skills,” Pagurek said. “Their simulators are very realistic.”
Broeker and Hale were partnered with paramedics from Jersey City for the event. Competing in the Basic Life Support category, they took home the third prize.
It is the third time in five years that Mt. Laurel has finished in the top three for the event. Pagurek believes the township’s group has made a statement with its performance, especially being composed of volunteers competing against other agencies that pay their personnel. Mt. Laurel’s two teams were the only volunteer groups in the competition.
“We’re obviously proud of them,” Pagurek said. “It demonstrates that it doesn’t matter if you get a paycheck. Sometimes, there’s a stigma attached to volunteers that they’re not a professional.”
Mt. Laurel EMS’ hard work helped result in Pagurek’s award as well. Pagurek was one of three selected among nearly 20 nominees from across New Jersey.
Pagurek was happy to receive the award, but believed it was a team effort from the entire EMS group.
“I look at the administrator award not only as a personal award, but looking at our team,” he said.
The time and effort Pagurek has put in for Mt. Laurel Township was the center of praise last week. His proclamation summarized the feelings of Council and other township personnel.
“Chief Pagurek’s dedication isn’t tied to a time clock,” the proclamation read. “One can see the chief at his desk from early in the morning to late at night. No matter what project he may be working on, he always has time for volunteers and paid staff alike.”
Pagurek, who also serves as Burlington County’s EMS coordinator, was proud to see another volunteer crew, the Tabernacle Rescue Squad, take home the award for Outstanding Volunteer EMS Agency. He believes the awards make a statement that even with unpaid personnel, Mt. Laurel and other towns can still provide quality emergency care.
“I’m proud to have gotten it,” Pagurek said, “but I work with a great team of unpaid officers here.”
