Above: Gottheimer at the Teaneck Volunteer Ambulance Corps’ Annual Awards Ceremony.

TEANECK, NJ — Today, May 22, 2022, during National EMS Week, U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) took part in the Teaneck Volunteer Ambulance Corps’ (TVAC) Annual Awards Ceremony to honor EMS volunteers for services they performed going above and beyond the call of duty to help save the lives across North Jersey.

Those receiving awards include Ezra Finkelstein, the 2021 Member of the Year, who had four life saving CPR calls in 2021 and responded to nearly 1,000 calls last year; Israel Infield, receiving a Life Membership award; Eric Orgen has who achieved 2,500 lifetime calls; Pete Philomey who achieved 3,000 lifetime calls; and Joe MacDiarmid, a Walter Pinches Memorial EMS Leadership Award recipient, Marine veteran, and member of the Teaneck Volunteer Ambulance Corp for more than 15 years with 458 calls in 2021 alone.

Also recognized were volunteer EMS members Amiel Rimberg, Rivka Farrel, Avraham Walkenfeld, and Aaron Singer for helping with the birth of a baby boy.

The Teaneck Volunteer Ambulance Corps is the only emergency medical ambulance service for the township of Teaneck and provides services to any member of its diverse population.

“Members of the Teaneck Volunteer Ambulance Corps are our neighbors, family, and friends who tirelessly work day in and day out. They spend countless hours training and practicing for what could be the worst day of our lives — and they are always there when we need them most,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer. “To our first responders, for all that you’ve done for our community, I will always have your backs.”

Gottheimer has helped claw back resources and equipment to help our fire departments, EMTs, law enforcement, and beyond. The Fifth District is up more than 112% in the federal tax dollars clawed back to Jersey from Washington and away from the Moocher States since 2016.  

These dollars help ensure that our first responders have the resources they need and takes a major financial weight off of our town and county budgets to help lower the property tax burden on our families.

National EMS Week is May 15 to May 21, 2022.

Below: Gottheimer with Teaneck Volunteer Ambulance Corps Members

Below: Gottheimer with Teaneck Volunteer Ambulance Corps’ President Eric Orgen and Chief Yoni Celnik.

Video of today’s announcement can be found here.

Gottheimer’s remarks as prepared for delivery are below.

Good morning. As we celebrate Emergency Medical Services Week, it’s an honor to join everyone here for this wonderful event, honoring the life saving actions of our community members.

First, I’d like to thank all of our brave first responders for everything you do to keep our communities and our country safe. I’d also like to take a moment to honor and thank those being recognized today. Let’s give them a big round of applause.  Thank you for always getting our backs. 

For our EMS personnel here today and across North Jersey, I know that helping others has always been your motivating force — running toward those in need and saving countless lives because of it. 

Members of the Teaneck Volunteer Ambulance Corps are our neighbors, family, and friends who tirelessly work day in and day out. They spend countless hours training and practicing for what could be the worst day of our lives — and they are always there when we need them most. 

Think about that for a second, 24/7 — every second of everyday — these brave men and women are there, volunteering their time not for pay but solely for the benefit and wellbeing of others.  

And you’re always there for us — as you were even during the darkest days of the pandemic, when you treated those who were suffering.  And there were those weeks and months when you didn’t even have the necessary masks, gowns, and PPE to fully protect yourselves.  

Just this past Mother’s Day, while most of us were spending time at home with their loved ones, the Teaneck Volunteer Ambulance Corps was out responding to emergencies, including a second alarm house fire. 

We are lucky to have so many unsung heroes in our communities here today, whose service goes on every day without the recognition they truly deserve. Today is your day. 

I would like to take a minute, sing your praises, and highlight a few of the Teaneck Volunteer Ambulance members:

Joe MacDiarmid, a Walter Pinches Memorial EMS Leadership Award recipient, who I was fortunate to recognize as Hometown Hero in December, is a Marine veteran, and member of the Teaneck Volunteer Ambulance Corp for more than 15 years with 458 calls in 2021 alone.

Ezra Finkelstein is the 2021 Member of the Year. He had four life saving CPR calls in 2021 and responded to nearly 1,000 calls that year.

Israel Infield is receiving a Life Membership award, Eric Orgenhas achieved 2,500 lifetime calls and Pete Philomey with 3,000.

And there are countless others with hundreds of calls and who have responded to life saving CPR calls. 

And, of course, we can’t forget the moment you all helped a baby boy come into this world. A special thank you to Amiel Rimberg, Rivka Farrel, Avraham Walkenfeld, and Aaron Singer.

If you pick up the paper these days, turn on cable or flip through social media, there is far more attention placed on what’s wrong with America, and far too little attention on what’s going right. 

There’s not nearly enough time recognizing folks like all of you, and others like our firefighters, law enforcement, veterans, active duty, and others who do so much to protect our great democracy — the oldest in the world.  

Not enough time focused on all of the small businesses and friends and neighbors who give back every day — whether that’s to our little leagues and helping those suffering in Ukraine or without food in our communities. We should spend more time recognizing all of that, in my opinion, putting country over partisan lines, recognizing how lucky we are to live here in the greatest country in the world.  

To our first responders, for all that you’ve done for our community I will always have your backs.  

As it has, it will always be a priority of mine to help claw back the resources and equipment you need to do your jobs and help our community.  I’m proud that working with all of you, and our mayors and councils, here in the Fifth District, whether that’s helping our fire departments, EMTs, law enforcement, and beyond, we are up more than 112 percent in the federal tax dollars that we’ve clawed back to Jersey from Washington and away from the Moocher States since 2016.  

That helps ensure that our first responders like yourselves have the resources you need and takes a major financial weight off of our town and county budgets to help lower the property tax burden on our families.

To close, please know that I am so proud to be your representative and am thankful everyday for what all of you have done for our community. It’s because of leaders like yourselves that I know our best days will always be ahead of us.

May God bless you, and may God continue to bless these United States of America.

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