Litchfield Rescue Squad Open House

This week is EMS Week and the Litchfield Rescue Squad will have on open house on Wednesday evening at the Rescue Hall – under the Litchfield Water Tower – from 5:30-to-7:30 p.m. There will be demonstrations of the various equipment used by the Litchfield Rescue Squad, refreshments, door prizes and some of the other related departments will be there.

Mike Massingham, who’s been on the Litchfield Rescue Squad for 29 years, says there will be representatives there from the Sheriff’s Office, Meeker Memorial Hospital and Public Health, and there may be a helicopter as well. He says emergency personnel include more than just rescue, fire and ambulance crews.

Massingham says the Litchfield Rescue Squad responds to medicals and car accidents, but also does storm-spotting and is present at high school sports events. He says they like to have 30 members so that there’s always a good bunch available to respond to each call. Massingham says there is a theme for each day of EMS week, and he’d especially like to remind people to wear helmets, seat belts, life jackets and sunscreen.

Litchfield Rescue Squad Chief Blake Tangen says he’s been on the Squad for 15 years and got involved because he had been a 911 dispatcher while he was in college in South Dakota and when he moved back to Litchfield, wanted to give back to the community. He says the Sheriff’s Office will demonstrate its drone equipment during Wednesday’s open house which can be very useful to the Rescue Squad in search and rescue situations.

Tangen says they are always looking for new members and applications are available at City Hall or on the City of Litchfield’s website. He says they can train you if you have no experience as they have lots of training sessions.

Brian Valdez joined the Litchfield Rescue Squad about a year and a half ago. He says a firefighter friend encouraged him to join the Squad.

Valdez says responding to calls for each member varies on their employers’ requirements and their work schedule. Valdez was one of 4 Litchfield Rescue Squad members honored recently for responding to 300 or more calls in 2024 along with Candace Bollman, Scott Steuck and Jenny Welte. Joanna Mackereth was named Litchfield Rescue Squad member of the year for 2024. The Litchfield Rescue Squad responded to 588 calls in 2024.