The Tea Party is an annual event held the weekend of Memorial Day on the downtown streets of Chestertown. It is historic for bringing thousands of people to the small town environment. The Rescue Squad prepares for this event far in advance by holding meetings and preparing equipment to adapt to the crowded environment.
On Saturday, the Rescue Squad began the day by setting up a medical command post in the parking lot of People's Bank. Our Special Operations Trailer provided shelter for our equipment and members. This station was set up to handle public first aid and take free blood pressures. Members also provided the community with reflective signs to display their house numbers better at night. While a few members remained at the command post, EMT Diane Ayres and EMT Kathy Hastings were on stand by with ATV 8, ready to jump into action when needed somewhere else in the area. Several members roamed the area and mingled among the crowds on foot. In the afternoon, Boat Captains Terry Waldspurger and Larry Hastings took Boat 81 out to the river with Kent County Dive Coordinator George Bartholomew and Diver Travis Nelson for the re-enactment of throwing the tea. Boat 81 assisted Maryland DNR Police with patrolling the area making sure spectators didn't get too close. The day was interrupted with one short shower, but did no harm to the attendance at the festivities.
On Sunday afternoon Boat 81 returned to the water of the Chester River for the annual raft race. The boat was attended by Larry Hastings, Terry Waldspurger, Lt. Bob Coleman and Diver George Bartholomew. Boat 81 patrolled the area ready to jump into action in the event that someone's raft sprung a leak too large to handle. No problems were reported.
After a long tiring weekend, Rescue Squad members had donated endless holiday hours to assist the community. Many thanks are deserved to the following members who participated:
EMT Diane Ayres, Lt. Medic Bob Coleman, EMT JoAnne Donovan, EMT Kathy Hastings, EMT Larry Hastings, Dennis Hickman, Chief Paramedic Eric Jackson, Lauren Jones, Raye Jones, Dr. James Lacey, EMT Sharon McClinton, EMT/Diver Travis Nelson, Safety Officer EMT Allan Schauber, EMT Terry Waldspurger, Galena VFD EMT Bert Piasecki, Galena VFD EMT/Diver George Bartholomew
Thanks to all members who remained at the station to provide an ambulance to the scene when needed
