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Community Corner

35 Years of First Aid Honored by Hopatcong

'Butch' Mendyk averaged more than 6,000 volunteer hours per year on the ambulance squad.

For 35 years Alex “Butch” Mendyk responded to ambulance calls in the borough, offering kindness and care to the injured.

On Wednesday, the borough officially said thank you.

Mayor Sylvia Petillo presented Mendyk with a resolution of appreciation, saying, “Now that you have reached your 35th anniversary I think it is appropriate to stop counting hours and start offering you our deepest appreciation.”

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Mendyk joined the ambulance squad in 1977 and became a basic and advanced first aid instructor in 1978. In 1980 he became a CPR instructor and served as an EMT instructor for 27 years, a post he retired from last year.

Mendyk was also squad captain, president, vice-president, first lieutenant, second lieutenant and treasurer, and served on numerous squad committees.

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On his 30th anniversary with the squad, Petillo said, it was determined that Mendyk had volunteered 47,785 hours for the squad. That was equal to 6,072 hours a year, she said.

It was, Petillo, said, “quite a milestone.”

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