First Aid Squad, Longtime Member Reflect On 50 Years

Bob Loysch, left, with Chief Casey Orr, has been an active member of Huntington Community First Aid Squad since its founding 50 years ago. Long Islander News photos/Connor Beach
 

A photograph on display in the lobby of the HCFAS headquarters shows the original ambulances inside the original 1967 building. Long Islander News photos/Connor Beach
 

A state of the art dispatch system allows HCFAS members to respond to an average of over 16 calls a day. Long Islander News photos/Connor Beach
 

The inside of a HCFAS ambulance. Long Islander News photos/Connor Beach
 

The current headquarters of the HCFAS at 2 Railroad Street in Huntington Station houses six ambulances and other equipment. Long Islander News photos/Connor Beach
 

By Connor Beach
cbeach@longislandergroup.com

On Dec. 27, 1967 the Huntington Community First Aid Squad answered its first call for help from a Huntington resident.

While much has changed over the last 50 years for the Huntington Station-based Squad, one thing has remained the same: the dedicated service of Bob Loysch.

Loysch, 72, of Huntington, was one of the original members of Huntington Community in 1967. When Loysch first joined the Squad, crews responded to just over 1,000 calls a year out of a garage on Railroad Avenue in Huntington Station.

The roughly-100 original volunteers included both men and women, Loysch said, and pioneered the idea of having in-house crews on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Loysch, who formerly served as a captain and deputy chief, said evolutions in equipment and training are the biggest changes he’s witnessed over the past five decades.

“Originally it was just basic equipment, and basic first aid,” Loysch said, adding that oxygen and wooden carrying devices were the most commonly used tools.

The required qualifications progressively increased from a first aid card to that of an Emergency Medical Technician, until recently, a qualification Loysch maintained for 43 years.

HCFAS Chief Casey Orr said equipment has modernized and become more user friendly.

It’s not the only change that has been made over the years.

The Squad moved in 2000 to its 2 Railroad St. headquarters, from which it responds to over 6,000 calls a year, utilizing six ambulances, three first responder vehicles and a Mass Casualty Incident vehicle.

“I see our call volume continuing to increase,” Orr said. To date this year, the Squad has responded to around 1,000 alarms.

Membership has increased to respond to the ever-growing number of alarms. Orr said the Squad currently has over 280 members, and has recently added paramedics to supplement the volunteers.

“We’ve brought on paid paramedics,” Orr said. “They’ve helped us out a great deal with providing the highest level of care to the community.”

Huntington Community First Aid Squad also operates Explorer Post 215, which currently consists of about 25 teenagers, ages 14-18.

“We’ve had several members come up through the post,” Orr said.

Loysch continues to serve as an active member of the Squad as a driver on three shifts a week. He said the camaraderie and increasing need from the community has driven him to continue to volunteer for the last 50 years.

“It’s being able to help people,” Loysch said.

Orr echoed the sentiment of the veteran member.

She said, “Being able to give back and work with those who have helped us at one point… you can’t even describe that feeling.”