Your Membership In TIERS
Membership in TIERS is not be limited to residents of the towns of Orleans and Clayton. You don't have to be a member of any fire department, or have medical training or hold any state certification to volunteer with TIERS.
Thousand Islands Rescue Online Membership Application
Everyone has a reason for doing things, including committing to a volunteer ambulance or volunteer fire department. We see providing emergency medical services as a noble calling, an important activity that can immediately save the life of a grandmother, a second-grader, a teacher, someone's dad, a new mother, or a baby. We have helped bring new life into the world (see video, below), and made sure that hundreds of people made it to the hospital quickly and safely while treating critical medical conditions with the latest in emergency medical practices and technologies. We are proud in our appearances, in the condition of our vehicles and equipment, of our fast response times, our reputation among other departments, and in the teamwork and ongoing training at TIERS.
We're looking for people with time, with responsibility, and with a caring attitude about people and about their community--we'll take care of the rest!
OUR
COMMITMENT TO YOU
Our greatest ongoing need is
for DRIVERS, so if you haven't got medical training or certification but
do have a
current driver's license, you can be one of our drivers. We will train you to be
a safe and patient-friendly driver, and we'll train you as a Certified Emergency
Vehicle Operator. You'll get experience helping your medic or crew with
patients, and you'll get to know the ambulance and it's equipment in intricate
detail because you're counted on to help in emergencies. If you like the work,
we'll help you with your training to become an Emergency Medical
Technician.
If you already
have emergency medical training or certification, we can use you "in the
back" as a crew member, and we'll help you keep up with and improve your level
of training with peer support and Paramedics on hand to answer questions, review
protocols and information, practice procedures, and help you prepare for
testing.
All TIERS members are required to complete in-house training through a monitored check-off system, to get immunizations as required by the New York State Department of Health, and to complete the Federal Emergency Management Agency IS-100 and IS-700 online Incident Command System courses. It's all e-a-s-y!
We provide uniform pants, TIERS T-shirt and short-sleeve uniform shirt, shoulder patches, ID badge and name pin to all members. There are all-weather jackets available for use as well as protective coats and helmets for use in hazardous emergency operations. You are also covered by insurance if you are injured while on duty.
All new members
are given a fully-stocked first aid kit for use in a car, boat or at home
(left). The kit contains supplies for large and small injuries and a first aid
reference/guide book.
Thousand Islands Rescue Online Membership Application
Once members who are, or have become, New York State Emergency Medical Technicians and have accumulated 400 volunteer hours of service with TIERS, they are rewarded with a fully-stocked EMS Jump Bag (shown below).
TIERS members are recognized
and for what they do for the organization, it's members, and the
community. Every member has their own skills and life experience that they
add, and
volunteers who are not EMTs or Paramedics are no exception. Service
pins and plaques are just a few of the ways that the Board of Directors and
management of TIERS thanks members for their contributions of time, energy,
expertise. We know that there are a lot of things that can occupy people's time,
and the sacrifices that people make for TIERS and for their River communities
neighbors is what makes both work so well.
A little over two years ago, TIERS faced one of the toughest types of calls an ambulance crew can ever have. Here's the story:
|
|
|
OUR COMMITMENT TO TECHNOLOGY
TIERS keeps up on the latest emergency medical technology and works to provide cutting-edge equipment. Click on each thumbnail for a larger view and explanation.
OUR COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY
Thousand Islands
Emergency Rescue Service doesn't stop caring when the doors close at the
emergency room. Our crews try to make follow-up visits to patients at home to
see how they are feeling, how they're doing medically, and try to answer
any questions about their care.
We
do regular blood pressure screenings at senior citizen's centers in Clayton and
LaFargeville. We also provide medical coverage for community events like the
Clayton fireworks show, events at The Clayton Antique Boat Museum and the
Clayton Arena, the Jefferson County Fair, and for many area schools' athletic
events. We also provide staff and equipment for school programs like Fire
Prevention Week and EMS Week, and we host class tours of our facilities and the
ambulances to help children understand what we do, to not be afraid of us if
they're ever a patient, and how to dial 9-1-1 in case of an
emergency.
Have we told you enough? The time commitment that TIERS owes the River communities is increasing, but so are the calls for our services. We need you to become a TIERS volunteer. Your neighbors and friends need you. Your community needs you. Volunteers make sure that an ambulance can arrive at your house quickly if ever a member of your family needs us.
.We realize that not everyone is cut out to deal with medical emergencies, and we'll never force anyone to be in a situation they don't want to be in
But we have non-medical jobs that can be done, too:
Help with firefighter rehabilitation at fire scenes
help in the office or around our quarters,
help with development activities
communications and coordination personnel on a mass casualty accident scene
we need people we can contact to provide snowmobiles or ATVs to tow our Rescue Trailer to remote areas.
If you have questions or concerns, look
over all the pages of this website. If you'd just like to look things over,
please stop by TIERS at 100 Union St. in Clayton, or contact one of the
following dedicated
individuals:
Rolly Churchill, Director - 686-2058 E-Mail
Donna Chatterton - 658-4796 (after 6:00
pm)
Bob Markert - 783-2295 E-Mail
Deb Farmer - E-Mail
Larry Girard - 686-3937 E-Mail
