In his five years on the squad he s helped deliver babies, jump start stilled hearts, bring people back from the brink of death. He and the 35 volunteer members of the squad save lives with no questions asked. You see them down the alleys and in some of the apartments where whole families share one room. You do have to believe in public service to do this. Squad members have been hit, spit on, kicked and verbally abused by drunks on their way to hospital for the night, he says.
Some calls take members into attic apartments with whole families living in one room.
It can be depressing. Whitmore recalled a birth several months ago in which the mother turned out to be a drug addict. The squad has become an entree for people interested in law enforcement, becoming emergency medical technicians, nurses and emergency room technicians. Three people are hanging out in the lounge this afternoon. But 11 years later he has no plans to stop volunteering although he works full-time at the hospital.