Atlantic Highlands First Aid Member Jerry Pandolfo Named NJ Volunteer EMT of the Year

• 2009 Nov 20

ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS, N.J. -- Jerry Pandolfo, a life member and past captain of the Atlantic Highlands First Aid & Safety Squad, has been named the 2009 Outstanding Volunteer EMT-B by the New Jersey Department of Health & Senior Services, Office of Emergency Medical Services.

Pandolfo has been a member of the squad since 1996, was captain multiple times, and is currently the organization’s vice president. He picked up the award Nov. 13 during the 11th Annual EMS Awards Banquet at the Sheraton Atlantic City Convention Center Hotel. The event capped the 2009 New Jersey Statewide Conference on EMS.

"It's a great honor,” said Pandolfo.

Pandolfo noted that many of the accomplishments that were mentioned in his nomination were part of a joint effort involving many people on the squad, and throughout the 11th District of the New Jersey First Aid Council.

“So it is with them that I share this honor,” Pandolfo said.   “Without the people around me I wouldn't be doing this.”

More than 165 nominations were made across all categories in what Karen Halupke, director of the office of EMS, told attendees at the gala was a "particularly strong year."

State officials cited Pandolfo’s dedication to the EMS profession and his commitment to the community. EMS also officials noted Pandolfo’s determination to make not only the Atlantic Highlands First Aid & Safety Squad better, but the field of EMS in general through training and innovation. His involvement with the New Jersey EMS Task Force was also mentioned in the nomination.

“Jerry is the kind of volunteer every organization dreams of having, but few ever get,” said Richard Huff, chief of the Atlantic Highlands First Aid & Safety Squad.

“His commitment to the organization is undying. His selfless nature puts the focus on the people we help, rather than himself. The residents of Atlantic Highlands, as well as the members of the AHFAS, are lucky to have Pandolfo as part of the squad.”

Pandolfo’s impact on the field of EMS extends far beyond the borough of Atlantic Highlands. He’s been active as a first responder for more than two decades, as a firefighter, and ex-chief in Matawan, NJ. On the EMS front, he’s been an executive and active participant in the regional operations of the New Jersey First Aid Council. He’s also a first aid and CPR instructor, who frequently provides that training to local organizations in his spare time.

The Atlantic Highlands First Aid & Safety Squad is an all volunteer emergency medical and rescue services operation. The squad provides free emergency medical care to local residents and occasionally the surrounding area 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every day of the year. The organization operates on donations from the borough and the community. Potential supporters, members or anyone interested in the AHFAS can find more information at www.ahfirstaid.org.

Halupke said the awards gala was “the one night a year we get to say thank you to the dedicated EMS community.”Pandolfo’s NJ EMT-B title is the latest in a series of awards bestowed on the organization. The AHFAS was recently named the national 2009 volunteer organization Gold Award winner by EMS Magazine, it was voted the Best Ambulance Squad in Monmouth County by readers of the Asbury Park Press, and it was named the New Jersey Volunteer EMS Organization by the NJ Department of Health & Senior Services, Office of Emergency Medical Services in 2008.

“Jerry Pandolfo has been an inspiration to us all,” said Huff. “This award, combined with the others, are fantastic and back up what we’ve known all along, which is that the men and women of the Atlantic Highlands First Aid Squad are among the best