Sheryl Cooney Orlowski Honored For Community Service

The Austin Boro News Blog Community Service Recognition for February 2016 is Sheryl Cooney Orlowski.

Sheryl has lived in Austin her entire life and graduated from the Austin Area High School in June 1977.

She has been married to her husband, David, for thirty (30) years and they have one daughter, Tracy.  She is currently employed by Fickinger's Life Celebration Home, as well as  working part time in many different positions at the Austin Area School.

Sheryl joined the Austin Volunteer Fire Company, Inc. in 1981 after seeing the need for members and with the encouragement of a few of it's members. 2016 is the start of her 35th year as a member of the AVFD.  She is a Life Member and currently holds the position of 2nd Assistant Ambulance Chief.

Sheryl began her affiliation with the AVFD by taking the First Responder Course and ran ambulance calls providing basic first aid.  Next, she completed the Essentials of Fire Fighting course and became Austin's first certified female firefighter. She donned the bunkers and fought a few fires before she realized that the back of the ambulance needed her more.  Accordingly, she enrolled in an EMT course when the first opportunity arose.

The EMT course requires approximately 200 hours of class and testing time.  She completed the EMT class in 1986 and remains an EMT to this date.  Maintaining the EMT certification requires continuing education in order to stay up-to-date with ever changing guidelines in the EMS Field.

Sheryl states that most people don't understand exactly what an EMT is and calls them "Ambulance Drivers" and that they are totally wrong. She states, "I can drive the ambulance too, but there is much more to being an EMT. An EMT is basically a person trained and certified to assess and then initiate emergency care for victims of trauma or illness before and during transport to a health care facility. You will see us at Medical Emergencies, Motor Vehicle Accidents, Fires and basically anything else you can imagine being called into  911."

"While providing care, you will see us doing anything from CPR, back boarding a patient, controlling bleeding, monitoring fireman at fires, checking vitals, applying oxygen, delivering babies, and caring for specific injuries and illnesses. You may also see us out doing simple wellness checks or lift assists.  We do transfers as well, when a patient needs transferred to a different hospital or facility. But, you will also see us teaching kids at the school about EMS and what to do in emergencies, and working countless fundraisers like bingo and the 300 club to support our department".

She further states, "When the pager activates, everything else changes. Not just for me, but everyone around me. Our dog even knows our tones!  I have to say thank you to my husband for supporting me through years of missed dinners and events, and, being woke up by the page at 2 A.M.; my parents for their support and always being on stand-by to babysit at any given time for all those years; and, for our daughter, Tracy, it became a way of life. She followed in my footsteps and is currently a member and EMT as well, serving as the Ambulance Chief.

She often hears the statements, "You're just a volunteer; why do you do this, or, you don't get paid",  Sheryl wants us to know that the reason she does this hasn't changed over the years.  She does it for each of us and the community she grew up and lives in. She goes on to state, "In 35 years, that is the only thing that has remained the same.  Each ride in the back of the ambulance is different. You never know what to expect when the tones drop. There's a ton of calls I could never forget, and a lot I wish I could. The calls when you have to tell someone their loved one didn't make it, that awkward first experience with death and trauma, is both physically and emotionally challenging".

"Nevertheless, I can say for the most part it has been a great experience being a part of EMS. I do feel I've been rewarded in a lot of ways. I get to help people, in what is probably the scariest moment of their lives. We live in a small town and I get to see a lot of my patients heal and continue on with their lives; see a baby I delivered grow up; and, I get to watch a group of volunteers come together and accomplish unbelievable things.  I've watched my daughter follow in my footsteps. I've shared so many hugs, tears, and laughs in the back of an ambulance with my crew and made a few lifelong friendships.  I hope to be able t continue doing this for a long time".

"I, also would like people to know that the AVFD is always looking for volunteers, Fire, EMS, and Social.  We appreciate every single donation, ambulance membership and support for all our fundraisers, every kind word and prayer said for us.

Sheryl has one request for all of us: Try not to get impatient when yielding to an ambulance as they know it interrupts our day, and, their lights and sirens can be bothersome. But, instead of being frustrated, take a moment, say a prayer or send a well wish for the people who are inside the ambulance trying to save a life, or be saved themselves.

Thank you very much for your service Sheryl.