GREENVILLE TWP — Greenville Township Emergency Rescue Service held a “meet and greet” Saturday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of its founding.
The event, held from noon to 4 p.m., took place at the north end of the Kroger parking lot.
Though windy and overcast, a good number people showed up to celebrate with the department.
EMS Chief Steve Wenning said, “This is just an opportunity to let everyone know we’ve been here 40 years. It’s an opportunity for people to come out, have some free cookies and hotdogs, and show them a little bit about what we do in the community.”
In addition to free food and desserts, attendees were also able to witness a landing by a Miami Valley Hospital CareFlight helicopter in the field between Kroger and Lowes and to meet the CareFlight crew.
Visitors were able to tour the inside of EMS vehicles, see historical items kept by the department, and get free blood pressure screenings. Childrens’ activities included face painting, helium balloons, mini-medic badges, and the “CPR game” in which kids tried their hand at cardiopulmonary resuscitation on a training dummy in the back of a rescue vehicle.
Founded Jan. 1, 1975, Greenville Township EMS was originally called Greenville Area Emergency Rescue Services. The name changed when the township took over the department in 1997.
Wenning is among the longest-serving employees of the department, having been with the agency continuously since 1989. Of those currently there, however, Marc Latou has been with the department longer, for nearly 30 years, starting in 1986.
Assistant Chief Mark Dotson, who passed away June 17 of this year, had been with the service since 1977.
The CareFlight crew brought a plaque in honor of Dotson, to be presented to his widow, Joyce.
“January 1 was our official 40th anniversary,” said Wenning, “and we preferred to have the celebration during the summer. But with the passing of Mark, we decided to hold off for a bit and do it this fall.”
Greenville Township EMS has a fleet of three Advanced Life Support Ambulances, one Basic Life Support Ambulance, one Heavy Rescue Vehicle and two staff vehicles. It is staffed with 25 Paramedics, three Advanced EMTs and five EMTs.
The squad also conducts CPR training courses for the public.
For more information on Greenville Township EMS, visit the township’s website at www.townshipofgreenville.org.
