Community Corner
Hiker, EMT and Firefighter, Waldron Always On the Go
This Jefferson EMT now fights fires and provides emergency help to victims.
A lifelong hiker, Keith Waldron saw other hikers injured over the years and suffered a few mishaps himself, so it occurred to him it might be a good idea to learn how to take care of those types of injuries. That led him to a position on the .
“I knew people on the rescue squad, so I joined,” he said.
He has found the experiences over the past seven years rewarding, with the highlight probably a trip to The squad answered a call in the aftermath of the Christmas blizzard, when the city was overwhelmed with calls and reached out to New Jersey squads for help.
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Since the Sept. 11, 2001, training has been offered to non-urban police departments for mass casualties.
“In the city, we learned staging, and who orders the helicopter and the fire trucks,” Waldron said. “It all worked well; there was great planning. The training is the same no matter where you are, but the city is a whole different atmosphere,” he added.
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Continuing education is an integral part of being an EMT since training is always being updated.
“CPR is going to change,” Waldron said. He couldn’t say when the new courses will begin, but he noted a system relying on more compressions will be instituted.
Waldron takes Wednesdays as his duty night and also takes a weekend shift. If he is available when a call comes in, he may call the squad to make sure they have a crew or go straight to the location to get information before the squad crew gets there.
In addition to volunteering on the rescue squad, Waldron joined the fire department in December after working with fire fighters for years while on the squad. He was recently installed as a firefighter for .
Waldron hopes to inspire his 10-year-old son to service. He has inspired the boy to hike. They do many day hikes at the Delaware Water Gap or along the Appalachian Trail. A favorite hiking area is in Vermont, near relatives.
A native of Dover, Waldron grew up in Port Morris and Sussex County before moving to Jefferson where he married and settled. He also has a stepson who is in the Navy and has three children.
A paid EMT in Totowa for a time, Waldron returned to his previous work installing flooring.
