To the Journal editor:

How much do you really love your family, neighbors, community?

I was in the need of our First Responders this past week and am so grateful that we are one of the few communities that still has a first responder EMS unit.

As I served with our volunteer first responder for 25 years, I was happy to see my responder buddies come through the door. Our numbers have dropped over the years from about 20 to just a handful. We are all getting older and are in need of younger recruits.

They are friends and neighbors just like you and me. If we can do it, so can you. The thought of helping out my own family in an emergency gave me the courage to take the first step. I love my family dearly and the thought that if a loved one went down with a heart attack or stopped breathing, would I just stand there and not know what to do? We live a half an hour from the nearest hospital east or west of Michigamme.

The Golden Hour could mean life or death. When my heart was racing so fast that I almost blacked out several times, the doctors were glad to see the strip that was printed out that showed them exactly what my heart was doing so they would know what to do for me.

We help each other as a team, taking down medical information, bringing in needed supplies and equipment. You may hold a patients hand or reassure a family member all the while assessing the situation as you go about doing what is needed before the ambulance arrives. Giving oxygen, bandage an a hand, splint a leg, these are all things you can do, too.

Training gives you the knowledge and the team gives you support as you work together. We need each other, your community needs you, so think about how you can server your community in this vital and important way. You will never regret this decision.