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Mr. EMS

Joe was the Captain of the Ossining Volunteer Ambulance Corps when I joined with my husband in 1978.  I had just finished taking the rquired First Aid Course  and he already wanted me to take an EMT course...I told him I wasnt ready...took it about 6 months later and I was glad I waited.  Joe ran about the toughest course imaginable...his standard was the care he would want his family to receive on the street.....if I met those qualifications I KNEW I would be a good EMT an be able to provide the best care. Joe was always expanding his own knowledge and skills and we had the fun (?) of taking OVAC's first Advanced EMT course together and spending many a midnight shift at Phelps Hospital doing our "internship".  Joe and I rode the ambulance a lot togther.  He had his funny quirks, though..one day a maternity call came in and Barbara Gagliardi, Joe and I were the crew.  Joe looked at Barbara and me and said...."this call is for YOU...choose who's the crew chief......I'm DRIVING".  It was our first call off probation, but with him there to guide us, everything went right.  We did many storm stand-bys (snow, hurricanes, whatever) including the Clearwater Festival and at Bear Mountain's Silvermine Park (in fact we used Johnny Cash's Folsome Prison and wrote our own words.  My kids, who adored their "Uncle Joe #1" would go around the house singing it all the time, with one particular phrase on demand because it contained a word I would not normally let them use...this was gangs of fun for them and Joe would crack up every time they did it.)  He was part of our family.  He was part of the OVAC family.  He was part of the EMS family.  We loved him and will remember him always.  RIP Joe, you deserve it!!

Posted by Sharon Brana
Thursday July 31, 2014 at 9:43 am
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