Meet Two First Responders Who Go ‘Beyond the Call’

With leadership from Captain Freitag, Station 32 hosts a holiday party for kids each December.

I n celebration of National EMS Week 2019, join us today in saying thank you to Station 32 Captain Lisa Freitag and Station 57 EMT Antonette Bovell, who both go “Beyond the Call” in an extra special way each year to help the communities they serve.

With leadership from Captain Freitag, Station 32 teams up with Make-A-Wish Metro New York and Western New York each December to host a holiday party for kids. The event, which reached its fifth consecutive year in 2018, even features an Honorary Junior Firefighter and EMT Swearing-In Ceremony for the youngsters.

“Usually it’s about five or six kids at our party and they have a wish waiting to be granted and the party is just really something that we do to let them know that we’re thinking about them,” said the Captain, a 29-year veteran in our Department. “Working in EMS is really special because our patients trust us to help them during very difficult times in their lives. I love my career and I love running this station because we’re always helping people, meeting new people and providing the best patient care.”

And each holiday season, EMT Bovell helps to lead Station 57’s Coat Drive in November followed by its Wheel and Toy Drive in December as a way to give back to the community. During each event, local families join our members to help celebrate the importance of being there for others.

“We work so hard to organize these events each year because we want to let the members of the community know that we are here for them, especially during the holidays and we want them to get involved with FDNY EMS and learn more about this profession,” said Bovell, who is a 15-year member of our Department. “When you’re out in the streets working in EMS, every day is something different and making a difference in just that one person’s life is so important. It’s nothing like seeing a smile on a kid’s face or a parent’s face or a senior citizen’s face after you help make their lives better.”

Each holiday season, EMT Bovell helps to lead Station 57’s Wheel and Toy Drive in December for local families.

Thank you Captain Freitag and EMT Bovell!