Squad to honor John Harney Sr.

SALISBURY — Members of the community are invited to attend the dedication of the Salisbury Volunteer Ambulance Service’s (SVAS) new rescue truck to the late John Harney Sr., a founding member of the organization, on Sunday, Dec. 7. 

The open house reception will be from 3 to 4 p.m. at the Harris Building, the Ambulance Service headquarters, which is across the Green from The White Hart. Light refreshments will be served, including Harney & Sons Fine Teas. 

The tribute, including comments from the Harney family, will be at 3:30 p.m. The squad members will be on hand to welcome guests and past members of the service who played primary roles in its development.

The gathering will honor Harney’s important contributions to the founding of SVAS in April 1971 and acknowledge the strong leadership of William Rees Harris and 12 other original members who joined them in developing emergency medical services for the town. The founders are: Harris, Barbara Garrity, Mary Louise Kiefer, Joan Minnich Wilkinson and Arthur Wilkinson, Nelson Whitbeck, Ann and Jack Lloyd, Newton Davis, Joe Rosseter, Harney, Dick Barton, John Hickey and Ken Farwell.

In those early days, doctors’ offices often served as emergency rooms. The founders and other volunteers who created and developed SVAS began their quest in unfamiliar waters and at times struggled to keep up with the pace and pains of organizing the new service. 

The fledging EMT candidates had to complete several intense courses at Sharon Hospital, designed by Dr. Peter W. Reyelt for the emergency care and transportation of the injured. 

Funds were raised to buy the first ambulance, a converted Dodge van, and expensive new equipment. A switchboard system was designed and set up at The White Hart inn, where Harney and his wife, Elyse, were the innkeepers, to alert first responders through a series of “telephone tag” alerts. 

Harney was involved in all aspects of setting up the new emergency operations. He drove ambulances and transported patients for many years and was especially adept at providing comfort and supportive words not only to the injured, but also to responders dealing with life-threatening situations. 

Jack Hawley and Rosemary Fudali, who joined the squad immediately after its founding, remember Harney for the way he could defuse a critical situation by encouraging and supporting the injured and the responders. His words to crew members, delivered with a smile, helped them unwind after successfully completing their calls. The care and concern for each other is and has always been a hallmark of the squad.

From its beginning, SVAS has been a total volunteer organization, dedicated and committed to its belief that neighbors should help neighbors. There is no charge for its services. There are 48 members today, of whom 32 are active, and it is estimated that 1,000 squad and board members have participated in various ways since SVAS’s founding. The service does not receive funding from the town or other government agencies, relying on donations, its annual appeal, bequests and fundraising activities. Anyone wishing to become a driver or EMT will be warmly welcomed into the group. 

Betty Tyburski is a board member with the Salisbury Volunteer Ambulance Service. Portions of this history were provided by Brigitte Ruthman.