Grateful for free CPR training in Princetown

 

A Princetown resident and emergency medical physician, Dr. Greer Pomeroy, wanted to provide CPR training at no cost to her neighbors and fellow residents. She knows how important this training can be.

When she contacted Mohawk Ambulance to get a price for such a project, Mohawk said that they would provide the training, the equipment, and the course material at no charge.

You see, Dr. Pomeroy has trained so many paramedics over the years, Jeff Williams and others at Mohawk wanted to “pay it forward” as a thank you to Dr. Pomeroy. Jeff said that Doc Pomeroy has made an enormous difference by taking a tough stand on paramedics and making sure they knew their stuff before treating people. I know this to be true personally, as Dr. Pomeroy was one of my instructors when I trained to become a paramedic.

Out of such great respect for a former teacher, Jeff wanted to honor her by providing her community with free CPR classes. Wow. We don’t see much of that great attitude today — private industry and private citizens working together for the absolute good of the community, neither with any selfish motivation. Kudos.

Lots of people in our small country town learned CPR, the Heimlich maneuver, and how to operate an automatic external defibrillator (AEG). They were able to do it at zero cost to themselves.

Sometimes Princetown is referred to as the “Mayberry of Schenectady County.” I actually like that comparison. Where else does stuff like this happen?

Our special thanks to Mohawk Ambulance and the instructors: Jeff Williams, Ed Marchand, Tyler Freemantle, Christina Marilla, Emily Peters, Cole Mathews and Bob Panarese.

My wife and I attended one of the three days of training provided by Mohawk. The classes were wonderful, and I have been getting lots of very positive feedback from residents. Thanks again to all.

James Pavoldi

Princetown

The writer is a town councilman.