As wonderful and busy as the Atlantic Highlands First Aid Squad is today, it has a history of always answering the call and being there for every accident, major pr minor. A story from 1938 should remind all of us how badly volunteers are needed, and how much more sophisticated and efficient is today’s squad over decades ago. The Squad of 2021 still needs volunteers, not only as EMTS, but also as drivers, and volunteers to help in a variety of ways.
Back in 1938, the Atlantic Highlands First Aid Squad was as busy as it is today, and just as today volunteers were called on to join and be part of the group who are always there to help someone in need.
Busy for the 1938 squad was handling seven alarms in four days and administering first aid and transport service to more than ten persons. The climax of that busy week was a Sunday afternoon when a car owned and driven by Martin Schneider, of Brooklyn, leaped the curb on Memorial Parkway after a tire blow out. It first collided with a parked car owned by John J. Salter, also of Brooklyn, and lots of injuries resulted. Besides Schneider, Rubin Goldberg and Shelby Levy, of Brooklyn, and George Kaufman, of New York City, all required first aid treatment for numerous cuts and bruises and later were transported to Monmouth Memorial hospital in the ambulances of Atlantic Highlands and Highlands. According to Chief of Police Sterling Sweeney, who investigated the accident, the Schneider car was demolished and the car owned by Salter was badly damaged by the impact. That car accident was after Friday night’s accident when Ada Miller of Verona, and Charles Dean of Caldwell were driving toward the borough on West Valley Drive and their car was in a collision and all had to be taken to the office of Dr. Frederick Bullwinkle by a gentleman named John Borden. The ambulance was then called to transport them to Monmouth Memorial hospital.
Earlier that same night William Brittingham, jr., of Wesley avenue, was struck by a car driven by O. Richard Lichtenstein, of Mount avenue, and had to be taken to the hospital for treatment of a fracture.
On Monday, Timothy Red of Avenue D, was taken to Hazard hospital, after it had been found he was suffering from a broken collar bone caused by a fall several days earlier. More seriously, a fatal accident occurred early Tuesday morning on Route 35 just north of the Keyport intersection with Route 36, when a car driven by Harold Speakman, thirty years old, of Middle Road, was hit by a truck driven by Robert Hasselman, of Springfield. Speakman was killed instantly. The truck driver was held by state police on a technical manslaughter charge. Just as they continue to do today, the local squad went far beyond his border land to help and serve other squads also in need.
