The Willingboro Emergency Squad Junior Members are comprised of volunteers between the ages of 16 and 18 years of age. The juniors were established in the 1980's to recruit young individuals with the motivation to volunteer. Since that time, there have been many members that started their EMS career with Willingboro Emergency Squad as Junior Members. As junior members they have made a difference. For most of them, it is a difference that will affect the rest of their lives.
Being a junior on this squad is a great deal of responsibility, but it can also be a great deal of fun. From the day you join, you are able to "ride" in the back of the ambulance under the supervision of a certified EMT. In the next weeks and months of joining, you will be trained to the same to the same high standard of training as the adults. You will be provided a squad uniform up to the squad uniform policy.
There are some important things to remember when you begin thinking about joining the Willingboro Emergency Squad as a junior. It is an exciting experience, but at the same time it can be nerve racking and mentally traumatic. You will see the people on the one of the worst days of their life, the worst of car accidents, many different types of illnesses, fires, and even death. The Willingboro Squad members are the people that are called upon when it matters most. Each volunteer plays and important role. You will realize the first time a life is saved, a child's pain is relieved, or an accident victim is freed from a vehicle and the family comes back to you weeks or months later with a simple "Thank you".
You will also be able to participate in many special functions such as the Labor Day festivities, football games, wrestling matches, and any other functions that require the rescue squad to stand by. You will learn to work with the public at health fairs. You will learn to work closely with fire department personnel, police officers, emergency management, and personnel from surrounding rescue squads.
Most of all, you will learn the importance of responsibility outside of the squad. Juniors are required to be in compliance with an academic performance guideline. Juniors are not permitted to respond to calls during the school day or leave school for a call. Junior members are not permitted to respond to a call after 10pm on a school night and midnight on weekends. These guidelines are in place to assure not only your success in the squad, but your success in life
Membership within Willingboro Emergency Squad Junior Program has its benefits.
Many former junior members have used their squad experience as a springboard into careers in medicine, law, public safety and military service.
Juniors graduating high school may qualify for grants and scholarships, which targets teens who are members of Cadet Corps and Junior throughout the state. Additionally, there is a community college tuition reduction program established in the state that reduces the out of pocket expense if your son or daughter is an active member of a rescue squad or fire department while attending a community college within the state