Volunteer First Aid recognized for year-round effort

Tom Cheplic isn’t one who accepts praise well, fishes for compliments or hunts for accolades. The captain of the Weehawken Volunteer First Aid Squad just goes about his business, coordinating the daily rigors of the diligent corps of dedicated volunteers. “It’s really a thankless position,” said Cheplic, an elementary school music teacher in West New York who has served as the captain of the squad for the last seven years. “No one realizes that this is a 24-hour a day, seven day a week gig. If you’re in the EMS business, then you can’t be looking for pats on the back or accolades, because you’re not going to find it.” However, last Saturday night at the Weehawken Elks, Cheplic and some of his comrades from the squad received their proper and just due. Mayor Richard Turner and the Township Council presented awards to the dedicated souls who volunteer their time and effort, in order to help saves lives and help people in general. It was also an evening to recognize the officers of the organization, to swear in the officers for another term. Cheplic will serve a seventh term as captain of the squad. “I guess it’s kind of a mixed feeling, 50-50,” Cheplic said. “It’s a sign that I’ve proven over the last six years that I could do an adequate job, but it’s also a sign of respect. I’m not looking to be the lead singer here.” And there’s no question that Cheplic gets and commands respect from the members of the squad. “Tom Cheplic leads by example,” said Jeff Welz, who was re-elected to his 20th term as the president of the squad. “He’s the first one to come in and cover for someone when they can’t make a shift. I’m just a figurehead. The captain is the one who keeps the squad going. The dedication that he brings to the role is tremendous. He has been a leader since he joined the squad.” Which ironically was 10 years ago, which meant that Cheplic received a lifetime membership to the squad. Cheplic received the honor, along with fellow 10-year members Robert Schwartz and Robert Walker. “We’ve been blessed with people who have been with us for a long time,” Welz said. “The stability of the squad is strong. We’ve been very lucky to retain people. Even in the private sector, people leave jobs after five years or so. This is very rare, especially with volunteers.” Cheplic said that he was anxiously anticipating the day he would receive his lifetime membership. “I knew that I was coming up on it,” Cheplic said. “Every since I joined, I looked forward to the day that I would get it. All of the people who encouraged me to join and helped me in the early days were life members. I remember sitting there through dinners, when other people received it, and wondered to myself that it was going to be me someday. Now, it was my turn.” Schwartz was unable to attend the awards dinner because of a prior commitment, but Walker was on hand to receive his membership. “They are two very good individuals and I’m proud to be going in with them,” Cheplic said. “I didn’t mind sharing the night with either Bob at all.” Cheplic was asked what it was like to serve 10 years as a volunteer. “Ten years really is a long time to do anything,” Cheplic said. “Especially when it’s not your primary profession. I’ve seen a lot of things happen in 10 years. It takes a lot of intestinal fortitude to remain around that long.” Added Cheplic, “I don’t need recognition otherwise, but when you get recognized by your peers, it makes everything you do seem worthwhile.” Besides presenting the awards to the members of the squad who reached milestones in terms of how many calls they responded to, Turner also administered the oath of office to the members who were elected officials. Besides Welz as president and Cheplic as captain, Judy Gaffey was re-elected as vice-president for her seventh term. George Lindgren took the oath for first lieutenant, Maria Moro became second lieutenant, Lou Kairys began his 14th term as treasurer, but was also appointed as a second lieutenant, Wayne Lavoie will begin his 12th term as secretary and Ann Marie Cleary was sworn in as an assistant secretary for the first time. The following members received awards for the amount of calls they responded to in their entire careers: 3,750 calls, Lou Kairys; 2,750 calls, Barbary Kairys; 1,750 calls, David McNeese; 1,500 calls, Robert Schwartz; 1,250 calls, Joe Burns; 750 calls, Judy Gaffey; 500 calls, Phyllis Walsh; 250 calls, George Lindgren; and 100 calls, Giovanni Ahmad, Meigra Myers, Wilbert Negron, Julian B. Mera, Ariel Shiloh and Oscar Torres. Robert Schwartz got an award for most calls in 1999, with 194.