A Salute to Addison County & Brandon
RESCUE WORKERS
August 2017
Front line community
(See MVAA, Page 12)
Service
By JOHN S. McCRIGHT VERGENNES — When Sara McKirryher joined the Vergennes Area Rescue Squad in August of 2000 she was around 20 years old, and she didn’t know exactly what she was getting into. “I didn’t know what to expect,” the Vergennes resident said in a recent interview. “My mom (Ann Rivers) was on the rescue squad, and she convinced me to take a healthcare CPR course and join (VARS). “I just wanted to give back to the community, do something of value,” McKirryher said. So she did the CPR training and showed up for her first night as a VARS volunteer. There were two seasoned EMTs (certified Emergency Medical Technicians) on the job with
her that night, and it turned out to be a good thing. While many shifts have two or three calls for service, McKirryher’s first shift had eight. “It was abnormally busy,” she said, with understatement. The busy pace seemed to suit McKirryher, who is now 46. She stuck with the 12-hour shifts, doing six to eight a month. And she stuck with the training, too, first earning her EMR (Emergency Medical Responder) certification, and then her EMT accreditation within two years. Today, she’s got a full-time job, and cut back to four or five shifts a month. But McKirryher, who is the current president of VARS, is still deeply involved. As an officer, (See McKirryher, Page 8)
VERGENNES AREA RESCUE Squad President Sara McKirryher is always ready to serve.
Independent photo/ John S. McCright
A special publication of The Addison Independent