Pictured, from left, are Earl Hartman, fire commissioner/EMT; Lloyd Shotwell, Lodge Governor; Paul Cole, OFD-EMS Captain/ALS; Frank Kucinsky, Lodge Jr. Governor; Larry Vetter, Lodge Administrator; Adam Burch, Lodge Trustee; and Frank Williams, Lodge Treasurer.
OFD EMS Captain Paul Cole accepts “Tommy” from Lodge Governor Lloyd Shotwell.
OFD EMS Capt. Cole and “Tommy” spring into action.
At 7 p.m. on Feb. 3, 2015, ‘Tommy Moose’ officially joined the Owego Emergency Squad. Tommy, a 12-inch tall plush moose doll, will accompany Owego’s ambulances when responding to pediatric and young children emergency medical assistance calls.
Older children, youths and adults may be able to process what is happening when they are in medical or trauma distress and the ambulance personnel arrive to help them. However for an infant (1-year or younger) or a preschool child that is not so and they can become easily scared, that is where “Tommy” can come to the rescue by buddying up with the frightened child.
As the infant or child interacts with “Tommy”, hopefully calming them, the medical personnel are able to observe and make assessments of the child’s condition(s) and determine a course of treatment needed to get the infant or child to the appropriate medical facility in as stable a condition as can be achieved.
In a formal ceremony on Feb. 3, the officers of the Owego Loyal Order of Moose, Lodge 1595, presented “Tommy” to the Owego Fire Departments’ Emergency Medical Services for appropriate deployment with Owego’s ambulances.
Lodge Administrator Larry Vetter; Governor Lloyd Shotwell; Jr. Governor Frank Kucinsky (a former EMS Captain); Treasurer Frank Williams; and Trustee Adam Burch presented “Tommy” to Owego Emergency Medical Services Captain Paul Cole and Fire Commissioner Earl Hartman.
Now in its seventh year, the “Tommy Moose” program, one of the many Moose International service initiatives, has been a very successful and effective program with over 120,000 “Tommy’s” provided at no cost to police, fire departments, ambulances/emergency medical services, hospitals and other emergency workers who provide care for infants and young children.
Moose International has approximately 1.2 million members dedicated to caring for the young and old in need. Moose international maintains over 1,600 family oriented Moose Centers across North America, Great Britain and Bermuda, along with the Mooseheart Child City and School outside of Chicago, Illinois and Moosehaven retirement community for seniors in need in Florida.
The loyal Order of Moose invests between $75 Million to $100 million annually in its North American service programs such as Mooseheart, where children in need can be in a caring nurturing community and receive a solid education that will help them reach their full potential and rewarding life.
Want to know more about the Moose’s “Tommy” program, visit www.tommymoose.org.
Want to know more about the Loyal Order of Moose, visit www.mooseintl.org, call (607) 687-3970, or stop at the Owego Lodge 1595 located at 3 Goodrich Rd. in Owego, N.Y.
The Owego Emergency Squad thanks the Owego Moose Lodge 1595 for providing them Tommy(s) for their use when caring for the infants and children of our community.
