The Tenafly Volunteer Ambulance Corps (TVAC) has dedicated its time and service to local residents in need of emergency care since 1992. TVAC gives fast and basic life support for the sick and injured and provides transportation from home to hospital. Each member of TVAC has completed professional training as Emergency Medical Technicians. In addition to being capable and well-equipped, members of TVAC are made up of local residents who volunteer their time 24/7, 365 days a year.

Zoe Touma (’18) has been involved with TVAC since the beginning of this school year. “I would 100% recommend underclassman to become an EMT because not only does it teach you advanced life skills, but it also introduces you to a second family that you can come to with any problems you need.” Currently, there are fifteen students at the school that are a part of TVAC. Students are on general calls from 6:01 in the morning to 5:59 in the evening everyday. When students receive general calls, they are paged from school. It’s up to the student how often they want to go, however there is no obligation to go when not on an assigned shift.

“When I first started, it was hard to manage my schoolwork because I was just getting used to being an EMT. But then, once I got into the swing of things, it was amazing. I’m on call for six hours every week, so it’s a perfect opportunity to get my work done,” Touma says.

Nicole Menendez (’18) is another student at the school involved in TVAC.  “When and if accepted to TVAC, you will choose a night available to do your duty shift. Shifts are always six hours, so you can have the 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. shift, what most high school students do, or you can also do the 12 a.m. to 6 a.m. shift.” Menendez continues to say, “Shifts are available from Sunday to Friday, and everyone on the ambulance corps has Saturday rotations, which means every one to two months, you take a 12 hr shift, which is 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.”

Aside from the practical skills you learn from becoming an EMT, members of TVAC also learn life skills that can help with any field one chooses to pursue, aside from medicine. “Being apart of TVAC has taught me leadership skills and how to act calmly in crises. I’ve learned the importance of knowing your own limits, and knowing when and when not to interfere in a situation. I’ve also learned how to pay closer attention to details and the information being given to me,” Menendez says.

Touma also speaks to this idea. “Yes it’s stressful, emotional, and hard. But when you are on a call, it’s like nothing else in the world matters but that call. Being an EMT is so rewarding; I can’t imagine what I would feel like when I wasn’t an EMT.” Interested in joining TVAC? According to tenaflynj.org, the minimum requirements to join the Tenafly Volunteer Ambulance Corps is as follows:

• Must be at least 16 years of age
• Must be a United States citizen
• A resident of Tenafly or any of the bordering boroughs of Tenafly
• Certified Emergency Medical Technician by the state of New Jersey

If you want to learn more information on joining on joining TVAC, go to tenaflynj.org.